New Auburn coach Chizik speaks to local fan base

CHESTNUT MOUNTAIN -- Local Auburn fans got their first look at new football coach Gene Chizik Wednesday.

Chizik spoke to the Lanierland and Georgia Mountains Auburn Club at Eagle Ranch for about 15 minutes.

The Tigers are coming off a 5-7 season in 2008 that saw them drop six of their final seven games, including their worst beating ever to arch-rival Alabama (36-0) in their season finale.

Chizik told the crowd of roughly 250 that his top priority will be to heal wounds of the Auburn community after Tommy Tuberville resigned under pressure at the end of the season.

"It's about bringing the Auburn family back together," Chizik said. "We want to do things the right way. We want to recruit hard and do all the things we're supposed to do and do them right."

Chizik also told the crowd that he wants former AU players to be more visible.

"That's one of our goals," he said. "We want former players, especially the ones in the NFL or former NFL players, to come back and encourage the current players and help them enjoy the Auburn experience."

Chizik is a 23-year coaching veteran who came to Auburn after serving as head coach for two seasons at Iowa State. But Chizik has ties to Auburn where he was the defensive coordinator for the Tigers from 2002-04, culimnating in his defense leading the Tigers to an undefeated 13-0 mark.

He was the defensive coordinator at Texas the following two seasons and was instrumental in helping the Longhorns win the national title in 2005.