Kalen DeBoer will be the 23rd man to serve as head coach for either Alabama or Auburn in the modern version of the Iron Bowl, first played in 1948 after the series took a four-decade hiatus.

First-year head coaches (including interim head coaches) on both sides are a combined 5-17 in the Iron Bowl, and just one Alabama coach in the last 30 years has won his first game against Auburn. The Crimson Tide is a double-digit favorite in Saturday’s game, so there’s a good chance DeBoer bucks that trend.

DeBoer also has one benefit many of his predecessors did not — he’s the first Alabama coach who will make his Iron Bowl debut at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban, Mike Shula, Dennis Franchione and Mike DuBose all had to face Auburn for the first time at Jordan-Hare Stadium; Bill Curry, Ray Perkins, Paul “Bear” Bryant, J.B. “Ears” Whitworth and Harold “Red” Drew coached in their first Iron Bowl when the game was still played in Birmingham every year.

On the Auburn side, every full-time (non-interim) first-year head coach since the 1980s has made his Iron Bowl debut at Jordan-Hare Stadium, though only two of them won the game. That list includes Hugh Freeze, Bryan Harsin, Gus Malzahn, Gene Chizik, Tommy Tuberville and Terry Bowden.

(NOTE: This list does not include Steve Sarkisian, who was acting head coach for Alabama’s 42-13 victory in the 2020 Iron Bowl because Saban was quarantined after testing positive for COVID. The win went on Saban’s record, not Sarkisian’s.)

Here’s a look back at all the Alabama and Auburn head coaches since 1948, and how their fared in their first Iron Bowl:

Hugh Freeze, Auburn (2023) — Lost 27-24 in Auburn

Freeze came about as close as you can in pulling off an upset in his first Iron Bowl (and what turned out to be Saban’s last), with Alabama scoring the game-winning touchdown on fourth-and-31 with 32 seconds remaining. Freeze gets his second crack at the Iron Bowl on Saturday, this time as a double-digit underdog against DeBoer’s Crimson Tide.

Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, Auburn (2022) — Lost 49-27 in Tuscaloosa

Williams took over for the fired Bryan Harsin at the end of October and had the Tigers playing inspired football down the stretch. Auburn actually scored first and was within a touchdown late in the second quarter before Bryce Young and the Crimson Tide pulled away. Williams’ four-game stint as interim coach ended with a record of 2-2.

Bryan Harsin, Auburn (2021) — Lost 24-22 in 4 OT in Auburn

Even though it was a loss, the 2021 Iron Bowl might have been Harsin’s finest hour in his brief Auburn tenure. The Tigers led 10-0 into the fourth quarter before Alabama got a field goal and then used a 12-play, 97-yard drive in the final two minutes to tie. Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime, both kicked field goals in the second and both succeeded on two-point conversions in the third. After the Tigers’ two-pointer failed in overtime 4, the Crimson Tide converted for the walk-off win.

Gus Malzahn, Auburn (2013) — Won 34-28 in Auburn

In the wildest Iron Bowl finish of them all, Malzahn’s Tigers beat the top-ranked Crimson Tide on the “Kick Six” at Jordan-Hare and prevented Saban’s team from competing for a third straight national championship. Auburn wound up winning the SEC title and losing a closely-fought BCS championship game to Florida State. Malzahn went 3-5 in the Iron Bowl, with additional wins in 2017 and 2019 — all of them against Saban.

Gene Chizik, Auburn (2009) — Lost 26-21 in Auburn

Alabama had a few close calls on its way to an undefeated season and national championship in 2009, including a 26-21 victory in Auburn in which it put together a long scoring drive for the winning touchdown in the closing minutes. Chizik’s team finished 8-5 that year, then signed Cam Newton in the offseason to spark its own national title run. Chizik’s lone win in four Iron Bowls came in Tuscaloosa in 2010, a 28-27 rally known as the “Camback.”

Nick Saban, Alabama (2007) — Lost 17-10 in Auburn

Saban’s Iron Bowl debut also came in Auburn, and was the sixth straight victory in the series for Tommy Tuberville and the Tigers. However, Saban drove Tuberville out of the SEC with a 36-0 win in Tuscaloosa in 2008 and ended up 12-5 in the Iron Bowl. Four of those losses came at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Mike Shula, Alabama (2003) — Lost 28-23 in Auburn

Shula’s Iron Bowl coaching experience began with an 80-yard Cadillac Williams touchdown on the first play of the game at Jordan-Hare, and it didn’t get much better from there. He ultimately went 0-4 vs. Auburn, though every game was relatively close. A 28-18 Tigers win in 2005 — in which they sacked Alabama’s Brodie Croyle 11 times — was the most-decisive.

Dennis Franchione, Alabama (2001) — Won 31-7 in Auburn

In one of the more surprising results for a first-year Alabama coach in the Iron Bowl, Franchione’s team — which came into the game at 4-5 — routed a 7-2 Auburn team at Jordan-Hare behind quarterback Andrew Zow. The Tigers returned the favor with a 17-7 win in Tuscaloosa the following year, in an equally shocking upset. Franchione left for Texas A&M shortly afterward, leaving him with a 1-1 record in the Iron Bowl.

Tommy Tuberville, Auburn (1999) — Lost 28-17 in Auburn

Tuberville’s first Auburn team was the first to lose the Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but he more than made up for it in later years — including the famous six-game winning streak from 2002-07. He finished his Auburn tenure with a record of 7-3 vs. Alabama, one of just two Tigers coaches with a winning record in the Iron Bowl. His .700 winning percentage in the Iron Bowl is fifth all-time behind four Alabama coaches — Paul “Bear” Bryant, Gene Stallings, Harold “Red” Drew and Nick Saban.

Bill Oliver, Auburn (1998) — Lost 31-17 in Birmingham

Oliver took over after Terry Bowden resigned at mid-season, and remains the only Alabama or Auburn graduate to serve as head coach of his alma mater’s rival school in the Iron Bowl. In the last Iron Bowl played at Legion Field, the Tigers jumped out to a 17-0 lead before Alabama scored 31 unanswered points. Oliver, who played at Alabama in the early 1960s and was an assistant coach for 15 years before leaving to join the Auburn staff in 1996, went 2-3 in his five-game stint as the Tigers’ interim coach.

Mike DuBose, Alabama (1997) — Lost 18-17 in Auburn

DuBose is one of four Alabama graduates to serve as head coach in the Iron Bowl, and nearly pulled off a huge upset in his first. The Crimson Tide led 17-15 in the final minute at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but Ed Scissum fumbled on an ill-conceived screen pass to help set up Jaret Holmes’ game-winning field goal. DuBose was victorious in the 1998 and 1999 Iron Bowls before his Alabama coaching career ended with a 9-0 loss to Auburn at Bryant-Denny Stadium at the end of the 2000 season, when he was fired with a 3-8 record.

Terry Bowden, Auburn (1993) — Won 22-14 in Auburn

The first Auburn coach to win his Iron Bowl debut, Bowden’s victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium vs. reigning national champion Alabama in 1993 finished off an 11-0 season for the Tigers. Because Auburn was under NCAA sanctions at the time, the 1993 Iron Bowl is also the most-recent that was not televised. Bowden’s Auburn teams won the 1995 and 1997 Iron Bowls, and lost in 1994 and 1996, with none of the five games in which he coached against Alabama decided by more than eight points. At 3-2, he is one of just two Auburn coaches with a winning record in the Iron Bowl.

Gene Stallings, Alabama (1990) — Won 16-7 in Birmingham

Stallings lost his first three games at Alabama, but turned the program around quickly with victories later in the year against Tennessee and most notably Auburn. The Crimson Tide’s 16-7 victory at Legion Field snapped a four-game losing streak in the Iron Bowl. Stallings’ teams also beat Auburn in Birmingham in 1991, 1992 and 1994, losing at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 1993 and 1995. Still, his .714 winning percentage (5 wins, 2 losses) in seven Iron Bowls is tied for second all-time behind only his mentor, Paul “Bear” Bryant.

Bill Curry, Alabama (1987) — Lost 10-0 in Birmingham

Curry’s inability to beat Auburn is what defined his three-year tenure at Alabama, in which he was largely successful otherwise. His first Iron Bowl was also the last true neutral site game in the series, as the 50/50 ticket split was done away with the following year. Curry’s Crimson Tide teams also lost 15-10 to Auburn in Birmingham in 1988 (which was designated an Alabama home game) and 30-20 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 1989, the first modern Iron Bowl played on either of the two campuses. With Shula and J.B. “Ears” Whitworth, Curry is one of three Alabama coaches who went winless in the Iron Bowl.

Ray Perkins, Alabama (1983) — Lost 23-20 in Birmingham

Perkins — a star receiver at Alabama in the mid-1960s — oversaw the Crimson Tide during what might be the most-competitive period in Iron Bowl history, which included four games decided by a total of 11 points. His first team lost 23-20 as Auburn’s Bo Jackson ran wild at Legion Field, but scored narrow victories in 1984 (17-15) and 1985 (25-23) before losing 21-17 in 1986. Perkins departed Alabama to return to the NFL after his fourth Iron Bowl, which left him with a 2-2 record against the Tigers.

Pat Dye, Auburn (1981) — Lost 28-17 in Birmingham

As the story goes, Dye told an Auburn trustee during the interview process that it would take him “60 minutes” to beat Alabama, which the Tigers had not done in nine years. It took a little longer than that, as his first Auburn team fell 28-17 in the game immortalized as Bryant’s record 315th career victory. Nevertheless, Dye’s Tigers won the next two and six of the next eight Iron Bowls, including the watershed 1982 victory in Birmingham and the historic 1989 win in Auburn. Dye’s last three Auburn teams lost the Iron Bowl, however, giving him a career record of 6-6 vs. Alabama.

Doug Barfield, Auburn (1976) — Lost 38-7 in Birmingham

Barfield holds the dubious distinction of coaching in the most Iron Bowls without winning one, going 0-5 before he was fired at the end of the 1980 season. He had not only the burden of replacing the legendary Ralph “Shug” Jordan as Auburn’s coach, but also dealing with Alabama at the apex of the Bryant dynasty. Barfield’s first team lost 38-7 to Alabama at Legion Field, then 48-21 in 1977 and 34-16 in 1978 before a 25-18 loss in 1979 in which Auburn actually led early in the fourth quarter. His last team lost 34-18 to Alabama in not only his last game at Auburn, but his last as a college head coach despite being just 44 at the time (he’s still living at age 88).

Paul “Bear” Bryant, Alabama (1958) — Lost 14-8 in Birmingham

Bryant set so many records at Alabama, but among the most-impressive is his 19-6 record in the Iron Bowl that includes separate winning streaks of nine, five and four games over Auburn. His first Crimson Tide team lost by just six to the Tigers at Legion Field, after the previous four Alabama squads had been outscored 128-7 in the series. After losing that first Iron Bowl, Bryant’s Alabama teams not only won the next four, they didn’t allow Auburn to score in any of them. He also went 13-5 head-to-head with Jordan, with only one of the losses by more than one score.

J.B. “Ears” Whitworth, Alabama (1955) — Lost 26-0 in Birmingham

Whitworth’s three-year tenure was a miserable 4-24-2 slog that included three straight losses to Auburn by a combined 100-7. The debut year shutout was bad enough, but his last Iron Bowl ended in a 40-0 blanking that is the worst beating Alabama has ever taken in the modern iteration of the series. The only good that came of Whitworth’s time in Tuscaloosa was it led directly to the hiring of Bryant, a former Alabama player and assistant coach who had spent the previous 13 years at Maryland, Kentucky and Texas A&M before “Mama Called” following the 1957 season.

Ralph “Shug” Jordan, Auburn (1951) — Lost 25-7 in Birmingham

The most-revered coach in Auburn history didn’t turn the Tigers around immediately, at least not in the Iron Bowl. His first three teams lost to Alabama by a combined 53-14, including a minor upset in 1953. However, the next five years belonged to Auburn, which outscored Alabama 142-15 from 1954-58. Jordan’s teams mostly picked their spots against the Crimson Tide after that, with memorable wins over excellent Alabama teams in 1963 and 1972, plus back-to-back victories in 1969 and 1970. His retired after the 1975 season, with a record of 9-16 in the Iron Bowl.

Harold “Red” Drew, Alabama (1948) — Won 55-0 in Birmingham

Drew gets a bit of an asterisk because 1948 was his second season at Alabama, not his first. But the Iron Bowl hadn’t been played the year before, when the Crimson Tide went 8-3 and beat Miami 21-6 in its regular-season finale. However, the first modern Iron Bowl is the most-decisive in series history, with Alabama’s 55 points tied for the most either team has scored in one game. Drew’s .714 winning percentage in seven Iron Bowls is tied with Stallings for second-best behind Bryant for any coach in the series, but he was fired after his 1954 Alabama team lost 28-0 to an Auburn team that was beginning its ascension under Jordan.

Earl Brown, Auburn (1948) — Lost 55-0 in Birmingham

Brown is the Ears Whitworth of Auburn football, going 3-22-4 in three seasons before being fired and replaced by a graduate of the school who took the program to new heights (Jordan in the case of the Tigers). And as noted above, Auburn’s 55-0 loss in the first modern Iron Bowl in 1948 is the most-lopsided score in series history. The biggest difference between Brown and Whitworth is that Brown’s team actually won an Iron Bowl, a 14-13 victory in 1949 that is among the biggest upsets in the game’s history. Not only had Alabama won by eight touchdown the year before, Auburn came into the game with a 1-4-3 record and still pulled off the win.

That is the history that DeBoer is up against going into his first Iron Bowl. He’s got arguably the most-talented roster of any first-year coach in the game’s history, but that hasn’t always led to victory for the Crimson Tide this year.

Then again, Auburn has not won the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa since 2010. So perhaps history is working in both directions this year.

Creg Stephenson has worked for AL.com since 2010 and has written about college football for a variety of publications since 1994. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @CregStephenson.