From Buc Linebackers to Auburn Tiger LB's
by Wayne Wood

Mike Kolen and Kurt Crain were generations apart but their contributions as players for the Berry Bucs and the Auburn Tigers had several similarities. Both Kolen and Crain were hard-hitting linebackers in their high school and college days and acquired all-star recognition. Both players were teammates at a time with a Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn during their college careers and both played pro football for a time.

Mike Kolen played at Berry during the mid-1960's and was in the second graduating class in 1966. He had two brothers who were also Buccaneer players during that era of time. The Buccaneer head coach at the time was Larry Wilson. Later head coach Bob Finley was an assistant then and almost swayed Kolen to sign with his alma mater Tennessee but Kolen decided to sign-with Auburn and head coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan.

Kolen started his sophomore year in 1967 and became a leader at linebacker through 1968 and 1969. Auburn defeated Alabama his senior year breaking a six-game losing streak to the Tide. During his career for the Tigers he became known as a vicious hitter and acquired the nickname "Captain Crunch" not so much for the cereal box character but for the fact that his team leadership merited the title of captain and his "crunching" style of tackling backs merited that term. 1971 Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan was a sophomore during Kolen's senior year.

After graduation from Auburn, Kolen went on to play pro football for the Miami Dolphins under legendary coach Don Shula. The Dolphins were highly successful during Kolen's time. One noted year was the 1972 team which went 17-0 during their regular season run, the playoffs and winning the Super Bowl. It is a record which has stood the test of time even 35 years later when the 2007 New England Patriots came close but fell a game short in going unbeaten.

Mike Kolen went into business after his pro career spending much of his time in Montgomery but in recent years came home to the Birmingham area. He was very active in the F.C.A. (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) from high school through college and pro football and still finds time to be active in this and other worthy civic activities. In 1987, the Berry Bucs passed through Montgomery on their way to an opening game vs. Enterprise. Bob Finley invited Kolen to a Montgomery restaurant to speak to his former team about his Christian faith. Finley commented on the bus that Kolen was the physically strongest high school player he'd ever seen and it was especially remarkable because it was long before the days of specialized, advanced weight training. But Kolen's spiritual strength was far greater than his physical strength.

Kurt Crain started as a sophomore at linebacker and tight end for the Berry Bucs in 1980 and became a leader through his high school career. In 1981, the Bucs went undefeated but lost in the 1st round of the playoffs. In Crain's senior year of 1982 the Bucs started the year slowly but got things rolling into the state championship game against Enterprise at Legion Field. It was a week after Auburn beat Alabama in the "Bo over the Top" game when freshman Bo Jackson scored the winning TO. The Bucs and Enterprise tied 10-10 but back then there were no overtimes in the championship game (that changed the next year of course).

Bob Finley tried his best to get Alabama or Auburn to sign the 185 lb. Crain but both they and other SEC schools refused to sign one of the best linebackers the Bucs ever had. However, the Memphis Tigers offered him and he signed with them in 1983. After two years playing for Memphis, Crain decided to transfer to Auburn in the spring of 1985 and prove that the Tigers had made an initial mistake. This was right before Bo Jackson's senior season of winning the Heisman Trophy. There's a story that during spring drills Crain was matched up in a tackling drill against Jackson and time after time put vicious hits on Bo. It compelled Coach Pat Dye to lose his temper afraid his franchise player would get hurt but also to remedy the situation of offering Crain a scholarship-finally. He had also grown in size since his senior year in high school.

Crain had to sit out the 1985 season and red shirt due to the transfer rule but came on his junior season in 1986 to lead the Tigers with 156 tackles at linebacker in acquiring All-SEC. The Tiger defense was one of the top units in the nation against scoring. Crain continued his pace into his senior year of 1987 with his trademark hard hitting style.

He played pro football briefly but a knee injury severely hampered his short career so he decided to go back to Auburn and coach the linebackers under Dye and defensive coordinator Wayne Hall. This lasted into the early 1990's when he decided to go into private business living in Montgomery and finally back in the Auburn-Opelika area where he resides today.

Mike Kolen and Kurt Crain truly epitomized the hard-nosed hitting style of what is desired in a football player. It just so happens that both were Auburn Tigers in different eras of time. They were also former Buccaneers who will forever hold to the orange and black.