Iron Bowl pits couple against one another
The Iron Bowl can be an oddity in an otherwise lovely marriage.
Linda Pearce Hildebrand and Eric Hildebrand are certainly not the only married couple with a house divided between Auburn University and the University of Alabama, but their love tale is one of challenge none the less.
Eric and Linda Pearce Hildebrand wear school team shirts with pride.
“We always joke that we get divorced one day a year,” Linda said.
Eric and Linda met their senior year at Bob Jones High School in 2005. “By the time we had met, we had both committed. I ended up going to Alabama and Eric was going to Auburn.”
The couple said they met up every two or three weekends while in college. “I think it was kind of rough for both of us being away and being at different schools, but we handled it pretty well,” Eric said.
The couple attended the Iron Bowl in 2006 at Alabama, which Auburn won. “We get to say one thing to each other, and then we try to be nice,” Eric said.
Linda graduated in May 2010 with a nursing degree from Alabama and now works at Huntsville Hospital in the labor and delivery unit.
Eric graduated in December 2010 with an electrical engineering degree and currently works at Boeing.
“Since we were both from here we came back here after we graduated, and then ended up moving to a suburb of washington D.C. for a year and a half, and then God brought us back here,” Linda said.
The Hildebrands share their home with two dogs and two cats. “Two of them will wear an Alabama scarf, and two of them will wear an Auburn scarf,” Linda said.
For the 2012 Iron Bowl on Nov. 24, Linda projects Alabama will win 56-3. Eric thinks Auburn will win 16-14.
“In 2010, we were on our honeymoon during the Iron Bowl and watched it in Aruba,” Linda said. “That was the year Auburn came back from losing horribly to win, and then they went on to win the national championship.”
Linda said some unkind words were spoken, mostly on her part.
“We’re both pretty civil about it,” Eric said.
Eric said they are both mostly civil about who’s team wins.
“In the end it’s just a football game,” Linda said.
