Report: Alabama superfan Harvey Updyke dead at 71
Harvey Updyke, the infamous poisoner of Toomer’s Oaks, has passed away of natural causes in Louisiana at the age of 71, according to AL.com, who spoke to his son Bear Updyke.
The elder Updyke made national headlines on January 27, 2011 when he announced to Paul Finebaum on live radio that he had poisoned Toomer’s Oaks following the Tigers 28-27 come-from-behind victory over Alabama during the 2010 Iron Bowl.
“Let me tell you what I did,” Updyke told Finebaum on live radio in 2011. “The weekend after the Iron Bowl, I went to Auburn because I lived 30 miles away, and I poisoned the two Toomer’s trees. I put Spike 80DF in ‘em. They’re not dead yet, but they definitely will die.”
The phone call was tracked and Updyke was arrested.
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Updyke pleaded guilty to a felony charge of criminal damage of an agricultural facility in 2013. He spent more than 70 days in jail and was ordered to pay $800,000 in restitution; however, reports indicate that Updyke had paid less than $7,000 total of it by last October.
Efforts were made to save the oaks at Toomer’s Corner, but they were unsuccessful. The trees had to be replaced.
Despite the temptation, I’m not gonna say anything bad. I figure he was miserable enough in his last years, and no reason now to pile on. I hope he went peaceful.
What he did was despicable and he shouldn’t be celebrated by any of our fans.
He killed a few trees!!! Honestly people who commit murder get far more sympathy. That is despicable!!! Think about it people. THEY WERE ONLY TREES!!! MEN ARE CUTTING DOWN RAINFOREST. AND KILLING ORANGUTANS! AND THEIR BABIES ARE ORPHANED.
No it wasn’t a good thing!!!! But we do worse every single day!!! And nobody says anything!!!
Poisoning a few trees in response to auburn desecrating Bear Bryant’s statue. It really wasn’t nice at all. But they were still JUST TREES!!! I’ve made jokes myself about that man. But I’m not happy that he died. And he was a huge Alabama fan!!! Like I’m a huge UGA FAN!!!! No I don’t enjoy watching teams taking a snip of our hedges!!! But I’m not going to go kill trees to get even!!! But still….
But still that man was made miserable by other crazy people!!! And he never got to see another Alabama championship that I’m aware of!!! I say that because. I’m not sure of the exact date all this happened. My memory is bad!!!
Either way. To his family and friends. May God be with you. And as for me. I’m sorry to hear this news!!! HE DID LOVE THE TIDE!!! Just maybe a little too much? But that is history and wasn’t that big of a deal!!! HE ALSO APOLOGIZED!!!
PS. I do think it’s proper to celebrate the man’s love for his favorite team!!! God bless the family.
King Negan
Riiiiight
Rip
Yes, AMEN!!! He really loved his team. SECRETLY I bet most Alabama fans, were actually on his side! Auburn fans did desecrate the Bears statue!!! To much was made of it all.
PS. Either way. It was just a few trees!! People cut down rainforest without this kind of hate!!! It’s over now!! God bless the family.
King Negan
I would not call him a “superfan”, more like an unhinged nutjob.
Yeah, “superfan” is a poor choice for this story’s headline. “Infamous” or “controversial” would be better. I get that people don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but a superfan is someone who reflects the fan base in a positive way, not a negative one. A superfan might engage in pranks, but destroying your rival’s symbol is too much.
@BC…….I agree it went too far. But don’t forget auburn fans desecrated Bear Bryants statue first!!!! Isn’t that destroying a symbol? But nobody really gets to define a super fan. The word fan is short for fanatical or fanatic!!! And so yes he was a super fan!!! So am I for that matter!!!
Don’t worry I’m not going tree hunting!!! LOL. But too much was made of that whole deal. We destroy rainforest and nobody hardly says a thing!!!
PS. God be with his family.
King Negan
Putting a T-shirt on the bears statue was not desecrating it. No harm was done to bears statue. Maybe you are a nutjob too.
@Cobait…….The man just died. Show some respect for his family!!!! Not trying to get on your case. I’m just saying. It was only a few trees!!! People don’t get half as angry when people cut down rainforest for profit!!!
King Negan
AU should press restitution against Updyke’s estate. Sorry Bear thank your late daddy for that.
Kinda doubt Updyke has an estate to get restitution from.
What will they get? A 33% interest in a 25 year old single-wide trailer. Better hope those dust mites are worth something!
Plus I heard he was turrible at landscaping!
This entire happening, is sad and pitiful. (Both the poisoning & Updyke’s life/death). I feel for the Auburn family, Alabama family, as well as Updyke’s family. May we all learn something from this incident. Prayers for comfort for his family.
Prayers for his family, he put a lot of negative attention on them and himself. Hopefully they can move forward and find some peace.
And too think that unhinged nut job was a retired Texas state trooper.
This was a horrible incident, but in favor of Alabama and Auburn fans, nobody has ever come close to doing what Giants-Dodgers fans have done. There has been at least one homicide and one attempted homicide from this rivalry, as well as numerous assaults.
It’s very sad that this is the legacy he is leaving behind.
The legacy is mental illness. Watching society deal with him as if he was actually sane was the real tragedy.
Lol, like shooting fish in a barrel, but the fish are smarter.
You regret the day you started chasing me all over SDS don’t you, don’t lie boy.
btw – you’re still leaking
everybody, including mr numbnuts himself, knows who that post was for
d@$& smartphone keyboard!
Who are you talking about?
Mental illness is the legacy of every Bama fan. Brian Downing, Michelle Pritchett and Adrian Briskey along with this moron….leaders of the pack.
The man was deranged…sorry that he was a Tide fan.
Most Bama fans are deranged….few exceptions. You have a better chance of getting Osama Bin Laden to accept Jesus as his personal savior when he was alive than you do for having a rational football discussion with a Bama fan. You’re all nutjobs.
No reasonable person would equate Updyke, or his dimwitted brother bamatime, to the University of Alabama.
Everyone on SDS would equate your dumba$& with UGA though and that’s not a positive for UGA….
Some dawg fans claim me, some don’t, I’m good either way.
But you and ConjonesLicker, y’all go together like peanut butter and jelly, a match made in romper room. Y’all going to make a roll turds baby.
Be sure to send me an invitation.
You have no choice but to except it.. Do you think anyone would care if you didn’t?
Dumba$$
bamatime and conjones sitting under a tree …
Roll Turds!
I know you’re retired tdow but if the Comedy Channel ever calls, take the job, I’d buy tickets to your show…lol
TheDawgsofWar. Hilarious!
I will only use three letters to describe updyke…POS
One decision changed this man’s life for the worst. He was a bad person. But I have to feel bad for him. Consequences are consequences. He became miserable because of them.
His daughter Crimson has a big orange T tattood on her fat arse. I know so because I put it there.
Boom
Yep. You are the tiny “t” hittin fat bama rednecks.
“Superfan” sounds like someone I’d like to watch games with. That nickname seems inappropriate here.
I love stories about Harvey because it brings out all the Vichy Bammers for a round of virtue signalling.
Remember man you are dust, and to dust you will return. Rest in Peace Harvey Updyke.
Well…..bye.