A crowd of more than 2,000 fans welcomed the BCS champion Tigers back in Auburn tonight after they flew in from Arizona. The school hopes more will show up for a formal celebration Jan. 22.

Auburn will officially celebrate its first national championship since 1957 two Saturdays from now, with a 1 p.m. CT event set at Jordan-Hare Stadium. School officials will announce details at a later date.

The Tigers won their second national championship in school history by beating the Oregon Ducks 22-19 Monday night in Glendale, Ariz.

They flew into Montgomery on Tuesday before busing back to Auburn, where a large crowd greeted them at the athletic complex. Safety Zac Etheridge, receiver Kodi Burns, head coach Gene Chizik and athletics director Jay Jacobs spoke to the crowd.