“Return to Immortality: Auburn’s ‘Kick Six’ Voted One of ESPN’s Greatest Sports Moments Since 2000 — A Miracle That Defied Time, Logic, and Alabama’s Dynasty, Cementing Its Place as the Most Electrifying and Emotionally Charged Play in Modern College Football History”
AUBURN, AL — Over a decade after it shook the foundations of college football and left jaws dropped across the nation, the “Kick Six” — Auburn’s last-second, game-winning field goal return against Alabama in 2013 — has once again claimed its place in the pantheon of sports greatness.
In a nationwide fan and analyst poll released by ESPN on Wednesday, the legendary play was officially ranked as one of the top plays in all of sports since the year 2000, placing it among elite company like the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl comeback, Ray Allen’s three-pointer in the 2013 NBA Finals, and LeBron James’ championship-clinching block in 2016.
But what sets the “Kick Six” apart — and why it continues to resonate so deeply — is not just its sheer improbability, but the historical weight, emotional stakes, and seismic cultural impact it had not only on the Auburn-Alabama rivalry, but on the college football world at large.
> “There are sports moments that are great, and then there are moments that become mythology,” said ESPN’s Rece Davis, an Alabama native and veteran college football analyst. “The ‘Kick Six’ didn’t just win a game. It changed the trajectory of two powerhouse programs and etched Auburn football into the annals of time.”
The Play That Time Cannot Forget
It was November 30, 2013 — the Iron Bowl, already the fiercest rivalry in college football, had never been bigger. Alabama entered Jordan-Hare Stadium as the No. 1 team in the nation, winners of three of the previous four national titles. Auburn, a resurgent underdog under first-year head coach Gus Malzahn, was ranked No. 4 and looking to shock the world.
With the score tied at 28–28 and one second left on the clock, Alabama lined up for a 57-yard field goal attempt by freshman kicker Adam Griffith, hoping to break the deadlock and keep their national championship hopes alive.
But then, history intervened.
Griffith’s kick fell short — and waiting in the back of the end zone was Chris Davis, Auburn’s senior cornerback and return specialist. What followed was a play so improbable, so surreal, it felt scripted by the gods of sport themselves.
Davis caught the ball, sprinted up the sideline, and with a convoy of blockers and a crowd erupting in disbelief, returned the missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown, as time expired.
Final score: Auburn 34, Alabama 28.
A Moment That Shook the Nation
The “Kick Six” instantly went viral. Videos of Auburn fans flooding the field, players diving into the end zone, and stunned Alabama fans in silence were broadcast around the globe.
> “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said commentator Verne Lundquist, whose legendary call became as iconic as the play itself. “I’ve been calling games for decades, and that was pure magic.”
The play’s magnitude wasn’t just emotional — it was structural. The win sent Auburn to the SEC Championship Game, which they won, before narrowly losing to Florida State in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. For Alabama, it ended their three-peat hopes and temporarily halted Nick Saban’s juggernaut.
Why It Still Ranks So Highly
According to ESPN’s criteria, the “Kick Six” scored top marks in drama, execution, historical impact, rivalry significance, and fan reaction.
> “You couldn’t write a better ending if you tried,” said Kirk Herbstreit, longtime ESPN analyst. “The stakes. The rivalry. The last-second nature. It was a once-in-a-generation moment.”
Thousands of fans voted it as their No. 1 moment during ESPN’s social media campaign, and nearly every Auburn household remembers where they were when it happened.
Legacy Lives On in Auburn and Beyond
Chris Davis, the man at the center of the play, has become a living legend in Auburn lore. His name is forever linked to one of the most iconic moments in sports history.
> “It still gives me chills,” Davis said in a 2025 ESPN interview. “It wasn’t just me — it was all of us. Auburn Nation. That’s who carried me into the end zone.”
The university has since commemorated the play with murals, documentaries, and even a statue proposal. Every year, around the Iron Bowl, highlights of the “Kick Six” resurface across social media, reigniting debate, laughter, and awe from both sides of the state.
Final Whistle: A Moment Etched in Time
In a sports world constantly evolving, where newer, flashier plays emerge each season, the “Kick Six” has not only endured — it has grown in stature.
Auburn didn’t just beat Alabama that night. They made history. They defined a generation. And now, over a decade later, they’re officially recognized for it.
As ESPN said in its tribute:
“It was more than a game. It was a miracle. It was the ‘Kick Six’ — and it will never be forgotten.”
WAR EAGLE — then, now, and forever.
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