A house divided
Brent, Kristen, Brooks and Seth Kulavich.
Each fall, the Kulavich home is truly divided.
On one side there’s dad Brent and son Seth, 7.
On the other there’s mom Kristen and son Brooks, 5.
Brent and Seth are Auburn fans; Kristen and Brooks are Alabama fans.
In this state, how could this happen?
It all started in the mid-90s when Brent was in college at Auburn Kristen was in college at Alabama.
Brent, who went to Etowah High School with former Crimson Tide players Freddie Kitchens, Ed Scissum and Toderick Malone, and a friend attended an Alabama game vs. Bowling Green at Legion Field in Birmingham to see their old friends when during the night, Brent bumped into fate.
It was Kristen.
“We literally bumped into each other,” Kristen said.
And the rest, they say, is history.
THE RELATIONSHIP
Throughout college, the two traveled back and forth between Auburn and Tuscaloosa to see each other.
Brent earned his degree in environmental science in ’97, while Kristen earned her degree in, oddly enough, human environment science in ’98.
Now, the couple has two children, and even they can’t agree on which team to pull for.
Seth, whose favorite player is Cam Newton, cheers for Auburn because “my dad cheers for them,” while Brooks pulls for his favorite player Greg McElroy and the Tide because his granddad, David Davidson, is an avid Alabama fan.
The Kulavich’s neighbors are even divided, with the family on the right pulling for Auburn and the family on the left pulling for the Tide.
But what often divides families in late November, the Kulavich’s have fun with.
“It’s a mutual respect,” Brent said.
But just because they have a mutual respect and have fun with the rivalry doesn’t mean they don’t have a passion for their teams.
“There was quite a few years that I didn’t have to worry about (the rivalry),” said Brent referring to Auburn’s six-game win streak from 2002-07.
But even though Auburn is sitting at 11-0 and No. 2 in the nation with Newton as the Heisman Trophy frontrunner, the days of the six-game win streak are over as the Tide has won two-in-a-row and captured a national championship in 2009.
“The fact is Nick Saban has brought an economy to our state,” Brent said. “This rivalry is just so important to our state.”
ADVICE
Although the Kulavichs are passionate about their teams, they are able to put the rivalry in perspective.
They have even gone to three Iron Bowls together.
“We temper our comments. Sometimes you’ve got to keep it to yourself,” Brent said. “You don’t dish out more than you can chew.”
And unlike many Auburn and Alabama fans, they don’t share the hatred for the other school.
And that may be their secret.
“We hope they do good 364 days a year,” Brent said.
“That’s what makes it fun,” Kristen said.
