paper into the trees to signal an Auburn road victory. This iconic tradition was ranked by USA Today as the "Best Sports Tradition". In November 2010, following Auburn's victory over the University of Alabama in the Iron Bowl, an Alabama supporter poisoned the large live oak trees at Toomer's Corner using the herbicide Spike 80DF (tebuthiuron). The 83-85-year-old trees did not survive, and in the years since have been replaced several times (once following a fire in 2016) with the most recent replacements being planted in 2017.
== Notable alumni and faculty members ==
=== Alumni ===
Auburn has a diverse group of alumni, in many different industries. Some of its prominent alumni include Apple CEO Tim Cook, MacArthur Genius and 2004 AIA Gold Medal recipient Samuel Mockbee, National Security Agency and Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command Michael S. Rogers, Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, NBA star Charles Barkley, NFL quarterback Cam Newton, NFL star and MLB player Bo Jackson, …
