Auburn Hosts Inaugural Victory Day In First Year Under HC Alex Golesh

In his first year on the Plains, new Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh is starting new traditions that he will carry on throughout his regime. The latest addition was the inaugural Victory Day this past weekend.

On Sunday, Golesh and the Tigers hosted Victory Day. The event brought athletes from the university’s EAGLES program, a “comprehensive transition program for students with intellectual disabilities,” as well as members of the Lee County Special Olympics team to Jordan-Hare Stadium to experience their own Auburn game day.

Athletes were practicing drills, speaking with the coaching staff, scoring touchdowns, and practicing celebrations with the team. They were met with the Auburn University cheerleaders, band, Aubie the Tiger, and play-by-play announcing over the speakers. The occasion will signify the start of the season for the Tigers for years to come.

“It’s pretty cool. It signifies the beginning of the season for us. I think it gives us a chance to give back to some really, really cool fans and it gives our players a really unique perspective of how fortunate they really are,” Golesh said. “We get to share this stadium with a bunch of really special athletes and we get to go play football on Saturday.”

“It’s my favorite night of the year, it really is. We’ve been game planning here for a week, we’ve been at it here for a month non-stop and for us to be able to peel back for two hours here and see it through a different light for a little bit then we’ll get right back into the film room,” he added.

“This was an incredible evening, being a part of Victory Day, truly was just a representation of the Auburn family and everyone to have a place here and belong,” director of the EAGLES program Betty Patten told the media. “This is the first coach who actually reached out to us from the moment he got here to really initiate a partnership because it was that special to him that everyone be included and have a place to belong here.”

When Golesh was finished speaking to the media following the practice, one of the Victory Day athletes was lucky enough to join reporters and ask the head coach their own set of hard-hitting questions.

If you need to smile today, here you go.

An Eagles student interviewing Alex Golesh after his media availability. Pure gold.

(Also, the beginning will fire up Auburn fans.) pic.twitter.com/d34dro8hNU
— Gunner Norene (@norene_gunner10) August 31, 2026

She asked Golesh why he chose Auburn, his favorite restaurant, his pre-game meal, and where he went to high school, finishing off the interview with a strong War Eagle. His reason for signing with the Tigers is sure to excite fans.

“It’s the best place in the entire country and we are going to win national championships here.”

The next Victory Day will not take place until this time next year, but it seems like the new tradition provided a much needed mental break for the Tigers before they kickoff the 2026 season.

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