Although best known for his storied career as a football coach at Auburn University, Ralph “Shug” Jordan never forgot the influential years he spent in the US Army. Jordan’s wartime experiences spanned some of the era’s most influential events, and as a member of the team that helped plan amphibious invasions, he was directly involved in the Normandy invasion. Jordan’s role in the military helped shape his entire person, and he often drew lessons and inspiration from those days in leading the Tigers to numerous gridiron victories. About the Author: Leah Rawls Atkins, a native of Birmingham, taught history at Auburn University, the UAB, and Samford University, and retired as director of the Auburn University Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in 1995. Leah spent many years with Shug. Her husband George played football for Shug and was his assistant coach for 16 years.
