War Eagle
Encyclopedia
War Eagle is the battle cry
of fans for the Auburn Tigers football
team, and all other athletics teams of Auburn University
, and for all intents and purposes, for Auburn University in general. It is also the title of the university fight song
(see below). It is also a common affectionate phrase, greeting, or salutation among Auburn fans, along with the colorful variation "War Damn Eagle," which is sometimes abbreviated in written form as "WDE." Since 1930, and continuously since 1960, Auburn University has also kept an actual eagle for Auburn athletics events. The widespread use of "War Eagle" by Auburn fans has often led to confusion as to what is Auburn University's official mascot. However, the official mascot is Aubie
the Tiger, and all Auburn athletic teams, men and women, are called the Tigers; Auburn does not refer to any of its athletic teams as the "eagles" or "war eagles." The university's official response to the confusion between the Tigers mascot and the War Eagle battle cry is, "We are the Tigers who say War Eagle." It is also incorrect to say the Auburn battle cry "War Eagle" in the plural, as "War Eagles."
Daily Enquirer mentioned "War Eagle" as an Auburn Tigers battle cry. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, "War Eagle" appeared from time to time in the United States as a name for people and things such as Indians (including professional wrestlers), race horses, a civil war mascot
, and in one case a coal mine interest.
There are several stories about the origin of the battle cry. One of these is a mythical story published in 1960 in the Auburn Plainsman and conceived by then-editor Jim Phillips. This myth is detailed below under War Eagle I.
A 1914 football contest with the Carlisle Indians
provides another myth. According to the story, there was a tackle named Bald Eagle on the Indians' team. Trying to tire the player, Auburn began to run multiple plays at his position. Without even huddling, the Auburn quarterback would yell "Bald Eagle," letting the rest of the team know that the play would be run at the tackle. Spectators, however, thought the quarterback was saying "War Eagle," and began to chant the cry.
Another legend says "War Eagle" was the name given to the large golden eagle by the Plains Indians because the eagle furnished feathers for use in their war bonnet
s.
According to a 1998 article in the Auburn Plainsman, the most likely origin of the "War Eagle" cry grew from a 1913 pep rally at Langdon Hall
where students had gathered the day before the Georgia football game. Cheerleader Gus Graydon told the crowd, "If we are going to win this game, we'll have to get out there and fight, because this means war." During the frenzy, another student, E. T. Enslen, dressed in his military uniform, noticed something had dropped from his hat. Bending down, he saw it was the metal emblem of an eagle that had been loosened while he cheered. Someone asked him what he had found, and Enslen loudly replied, "It's a War Eagle!" The new cry was used by students at the game the following day.
. According to the legend, a soldier from Alabama was the sole Confederate
survivor of a bloody battle, Battle for the Wilderness. Stumbling across the battlefield, he came across a wounded young eagle. The bird was named Anvre, and was cared for and nursed back to health by the soldier. Several years later the soldier, a former Auburn student, returned to college as a faculty member, bringing the bird with him. For years both were a familiar sight on campus and at events. On the day of Auburn's first football game in 1892 against the University of Georgia
, the aged eagle broke away from his master during the game and began to circle the field, exciting the fans. But at the end of the game, with Auburn victorious, the eagle fell to the ground and died.
In 2010, a children's book,"The War Eagle Story" by Francesca Adler-Baeder and illustrated by Tiffany Everett was published that favors this version of the story.
This legend was originally published in 1960 in the Auburn Plainsman and was conceived by then-editor Jim Phillips. Though apocryphal, this tale is most often told as the beginning of the association of "War Eagle" with Auburn.
, southwest of Auburn
, and became entangled in a mass of pea vines. Fourteen individuals and businesses scraped together $10 and purchased the eagle from the farmer who owned the pea patch. Cheerleaders DeWit Stier and Harry "Happy" Davis, later executive secretary of the Alumni Association, helped care for the new bird. It was put in a strong wire cage and taken to the Auburn football game against the University of South Carolina
in Columbus, Georgia
on Thanksgiving Day.
Auburn, having not won a Southern Conference
game in four seasons, was anticipated to lose. However, Auburn took a 25-7 victory over the Gamecocks. The student body could only conclude that the eagle's presence on the sidelines was responsible for the victory that day. The eagle was kept in a cage behind Alumni Hall (today Ingram Hall) and cared for by members of the "A" Club.
The bird's ultimate fate is unknown. Some say it died or was carried away by students of a rival school. Others say it was given to a zoo due to the high cost of upkeep; there is even a rumor that it was stuffed and put in the John Bell Lovelace Athletic Museum.
Originally known simply as "War Eagle" this bird was retroactively named "War Eagle II" with the arrival of War Eagle III.
who found the bird caught between two rows of cotton. The eagle was sent to Auburn by the Talladega County Agent along with a load of turkeys. It was first taken to the Alpha Tau Omega
fraternity house where it refused a cold chicken leg but made fast work of a live chicken. After a short stay in one of the Wildlife Department's animal pens, the eagle was moved into a cage built by the Auburn's Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega
fraternity. This would begin a 40-year period where Alpha Phi Omega was the bird's primary caretaker.
Jon Bowden, a fraternity brother who had previously worked with hawks in Colorado and Missouri, volunteered to serve as the bird's trainer. Formally named War Eagle III, Jon nicknamed the bird "Tiger." In April 1961, Jon and Tiger made their first appearance as trainer and mascot on the baseball diamond. Auburn was playing the Georgia Tech
Yellow Jackets
and was trailing 10-13 in the eighth inning, but rallied in the ninth and scored 4 runs to win the game.
The students were receptive to the new mascot and expressed a concern for a larger cage to house War Eagle III. In 1964, on the morning of the football game against Tennessee, War Eagle III was seen by his trainer, A. Elwyn Hamer Jr., sitting on the ground next to his perch. He had sprung the clip on his leash and escaped. After several days of searching, the bird was found shot to death in a wooded area near Birmingham, Alabama
, where the game was being played.
zoo and presented it to the Auburn student body in October 1964. This became War Eagle IV, also called "Tiger." She lived in a large aviary—until torn down in 2003 the second largest single-bird enclosure in the country—that had been funded and constructed by the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity and named for A. Elwyn Hamer Jr., War Eagle III's first trainer who had been killed in a plane crash in December 1965.
Throughout the years, the fraternity provided care and training for the mascot. On the morning of the 1980 Iron Bowl
against Alabama
in Birmingham, she was found dead by her trainers, Tim Thomason, Charlie Jacks, Bob Ingram, and her former trainer Bill Watts, having died of natural causes at age 22, after having served as Auburn's mascot for 16 years. A marker in memory of War Eagle IV is located on the Auburn University campus near the former site of the aviary.
. The bird arrived in Auburn on March 3, 1981 and was taken to the Veterinary School where she was kept for a short period in order to be examined for any signs of shock from travel. She was then transferred to a small cage until the annual "A Day" football game when she was presented to the University by the Birmingham Downtown Action Committee on May 9, 1981.
The bird was under the stewardship of the U.S. Government under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act
and was on loan to the Auburn University Veterinary School. She was officially named War Eagle V, and nicknamed "Tiger" as was tradition. She was approximately two years old at her arrival and was very active on campus. She attended many university functions, Alumni meetings, schools, hospitals, the 1985 Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree
, and the 1986 National Order of the Arrow Conference.
On September 4, 1986, War Eagle V died of a ruptured spleen at the age of 8 and a half years old. War Eagle V was taken to Auburn's veterinary school the night before by her trainer, Jim McAlarney, who noticed that she was not behaving normally. McAlarney spent the night at the veterinary school while veterinarians made a futile effort to save the bird's life.
Raptor Rehabilitation Facility in Land Between The Lakes
, Kentucky. Trainers made the trip to the facility to receive Auburn's new mascot. The bird originally came from St. Louis, Missouri
, where she was seized by Federal agents as part of an illegal breeding operation and brought to Kentucky. Like War Eagle V, she was under the stewardship of the U.S. Government under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act and was on loan to the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. She arrived in Auburn on October 8, 1986 at an age of six years old. Like the two eagles before her, she was cared for by the members of Alpha Phi Omega and nicknamed Tiger.
During the 2000 football season, War Eagle VI began a tradition of performing a free flight before a home football game. War Eagle VI, and later other eagles kept by in the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center in Auburn, flew around the stadium before landing on the field as the crowd chanted "War Eagle".
In 2000, day-to-day care of War Eagle VI was turned over to the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center, ending the 40 year program of care by Alpha Phi Omega. Shortly thereafter, the bird was moved from the Hamer Aviary to the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation center. The Hamer Aviary was torn down in the summer of 2003. On February 8, 2002, War Eagle VI flew in Rice–Eccles Stadium as part of the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. War Eagle VI was featured the next day on NBC
's Today Show.
In the summer of 2003, allegations of improper care of the birds by the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center were leveled by the university administration and by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
. Many of the birds were suffering from diseases and malnourishment. After all investigations were concluded, War Eagle VI was allowed to fly again prior to Auburn home games. Currently, the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center uses three birds, Spirit, a bald eagle, Nova a golden eagle, and the aforementioned War Eagle VI (Tiger).
War Eagle VI's presence continues to be used as a wildlife educational tool.
On November 11, 2006, War Eagle VI was officially retired in a pregame ceremony before the Georgia
game
. During halftime of the same game, her successor, Nova, was named War Eagle VII. In her final game as War Eagle VI, Auburn defeated Arkansas State
27-0, finalizing the team's record under War Eagle VI at 174-69-4. She saw two undefeated Auburn seasons, four SEC
titles, and six SEC Western Division crowns.
War Eagle was named the #4 mascot in a poll by Foxsports.
. It is played before and after games, as well as immediately after Auburn scores by the Auburn University Marching Band
. (Auburn plays "Glory, Glory, to Ole Auburn" after an extra point.) In addition, the Samford Carillon, located in the clock tower of Samford Hall
, rings the fight song every day at noon.
"War Eagle" was written in 1954 and 1955 by New York songwriters Robert Allen and Al Stillman
. The "Auburn Victory March" had been the fight song
for decades. The Jordan Vocational High School Band of Columbus, Georgia
, under the direction of Bob Barr
first performed the song during Auburn's 1955 season-opener versus Chattanooga
.
Auburn University currently does not hold ownership of the copyright for "War Eagle". The university did not renew it and the copyright is currently held by the estate of Robert Allen. Therefore, companies selling products with "War Eagle" being played must acquire licensing from the estate as well as Auburn University. There is a movement within the university to regain the ownership of the song.
and his producer, Travis Rodgers, stayed in a hotel that was populated by Auburn alumni and other faithful. Rome mentioned on the air how he saw people greeting each other with "War Eagle". Within minutes, callers to Rome's show began signing off their calls with "War Eagle", presumably because it sounded iconoclastic in the parts of the country that are unfamiliar with SEC football.
Callers, emailers and texters to the Jim Rome show now often end their call/email/text with "War (something they like)." For instance, after a typical call you might hear "War the Lakers beating the Celtics" from a caller from Los Angeles.
Battle cry
A battle cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same military unit.Battle cries are not necessarily articulate, although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religious sentiment....
of fans for the Auburn Tigers football
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
team, and all other athletics teams of Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
, and for all intents and purposes, for Auburn University in general. It is also the title of the university fight song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
(see below). It is also a common affectionate phrase, greeting, or salutation among Auburn fans, along with the colorful variation "War Damn Eagle," which is sometimes abbreviated in written form as "WDE." Since 1930, and continuously since 1960, Auburn University has also kept an actual eagle for Auburn athletics events. The widespread use of "War Eagle" by Auburn fans has often led to confusion as to what is Auburn University's official mascot. However, the official mascot is Aubie
Aubie
Aubie is Auburn University's award-winning costumed tiger mascot. Aubie has won a record six mascot national championships, more than any other mascot in the United States. Aubie was among the first three college mascots inducted to the Mascot Hall of Fame, inducted on August 15, 2006...
the Tiger, and all Auburn athletic teams, men and women, are called the Tigers; Auburn does not refer to any of its athletic teams as the "eagles" or "war eagles." The university's official response to the confusion between the Tigers mascot and the War Eagle battle cry is, "We are the Tigers who say War Eagle." It is also incorrect to say the Auburn battle cry "War Eagle" in the plural, as "War Eagles."
History of the "War Eagle" phrase
As early as 1916, the Columbus, GeorgiaColumbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
Daily Enquirer mentioned "War Eagle" as an Auburn Tigers battle cry. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, "War Eagle" appeared from time to time in the United States as a name for people and things such as Indians (including professional wrestlers), race horses, a civil war mascot
Old Abe
Old Abe , a bald eagle, was the mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the American Civil War. It later was depicted as the screaming eagle mascot on the insignia of the U.S...
, and in one case a coal mine interest.
There are several stories about the origin of the battle cry. One of these is a mythical story published in 1960 in the Auburn Plainsman and conceived by then-editor Jim Phillips. This myth is detailed below under War Eagle I.
A 1914 football contest with the Carlisle Indians
Carlisle Indians football
The Carlisle Indians football team represented the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in intercollegiate football competition. The program was active from 1893 until 1917, when it was discontinued. During the program's 25 years, the Indians compiled a 167–88–13 record and 0.647 winning percentage,...
provides another myth. According to the story, there was a tackle named Bald Eagle on the Indians' team. Trying to tire the player, Auburn began to run multiple plays at his position. Without even huddling, the Auburn quarterback would yell "Bald Eagle," letting the rest of the team know that the play would be run at the tackle. Spectators, however, thought the quarterback was saying "War Eagle," and began to chant the cry.
Another legend says "War Eagle" was the name given to the large golden eagle by the Plains Indians because the eagle furnished feathers for use in their war bonnet
War bonnet
Feathered war bonnets were worn by honored Plains Indian men, sometimes into battle, but most often for ceremonial occasions, and were seen as items of great spiritual and magical importance...
s.
According to a 1998 article in the Auburn Plainsman, the most likely origin of the "War Eagle" cry grew from a 1913 pep rally at Langdon Hall
Langdon Hall
Langdon Hall is a building on the campus of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama of the Greek revival style. Built in 1846 as the chapel for the Auburn Female College and moved to the Auburn University campus in 1883, Langdon Hall is the oldest building in the city of Auburn, and today houses an...
where students had gathered the day before the Georgia football game. Cheerleader Gus Graydon told the crowd, "If we are going to win this game, we'll have to get out there and fight, because this means war." During the frenzy, another student, E. T. Enslen, dressed in his military uniform, noticed something had dropped from his hat. Bending down, he saw it was the metal emblem of an eagle that had been loosened while he cheered. Someone asked him what he had found, and Enslen loudly replied, "It's a War Eagle!" The new cry was used by students at the game the following day.
War Eagle birds
Auburn has had seven numbered "War Eagles" birds, but the first of these only appeared in a legend about the history of the phrase "War Eagle".War Eagle I (1892)
The mythical War Eagle I has the most colorful story of all of the "War Eagles". War Eagle I's story begins in the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. According to the legend, a soldier from Alabama was the sole Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
survivor of a bloody battle, Battle for the Wilderness. Stumbling across the battlefield, he came across a wounded young eagle. The bird was named Anvre, and was cared for and nursed back to health by the soldier. Several years later the soldier, a former Auburn student, returned to college as a faculty member, bringing the bird with him. For years both were a familiar sight on campus and at events. On the day of Auburn's first football game in 1892 against the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, the aged eagle broke away from his master during the game and began to circle the field, exciting the fans. But at the end of the game, with Auburn victorious, the eagle fell to the ground and died.
In 2010, a children's book,"The War Eagle Story" by Francesca Adler-Baeder and illustrated by Tiffany Everett was published that favors this version of the story.
This legend was originally published in 1960 in the Auburn Plainsman and was conceived by then-editor Jim Phillips. Though apocryphal, this tale is most often told as the beginning of the association of "War Eagle" with Auburn.
War Eagle II (1930)
Auburn's first real eagle, War Eagle II, was mentioned in the New York Times, which noted then that "War Eagle" was already established as Auburn's battle cry. In November 1930 a golden eagle swooped down on a flock of turkeys in Bee Hive, AlabamaBee Hive, Alabama
Bee Hive is a neighborhood in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Area. Originally named for an apiary located along Wire Road near the Macon County line, the Bee Hive community today lies in the southwest periphery of the city limits of...
, southwest of Auburn
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...
, and became entangled in a mass of pea vines. Fourteen individuals and businesses scraped together $10 and purchased the eagle from the farmer who owned the pea patch. Cheerleaders DeWit Stier and Harry "Happy" Davis, later executive secretary of the Alumni Association, helped care for the new bird. It was put in a strong wire cage and taken to the Auburn football game against the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
in Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
on Thanksgiving Day.
Auburn, having not won a Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
game in four seasons, was anticipated to lose. However, Auburn took a 25-7 victory over the Gamecocks. The student body could only conclude that the eagle's presence on the sidelines was responsible for the victory that day. The eagle was kept in a cage behind Alumni Hall (today Ingram Hall) and cared for by members of the "A" Club.
The bird's ultimate fate is unknown. Some say it died or was carried away by students of a rival school. Others say it was given to a zoo due to the high cost of upkeep; there is even a rumor that it was stuffed and put in the John Bell Lovelace Athletic Museum.
Originally known simply as "War Eagle" this bird was retroactively named "War Eagle II" with the arrival of War Eagle III.
War Eagle III (1960-1964)
Auburn's third eagle arrived in Auburn in November 1960 after being captured by a cotton farmer in Curry Station, Talladega County, AlabamaTalladega County, Alabama
Talladega County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Talladega is a Muscogee Native American word derived from TVLVTEKE, which means "border town." As of 2010, the population was 82,291...
who found the bird caught between two rows of cotton. The eagle was sent to Auburn by the Talladega County Agent along with a load of turkeys. It was first taken to the Alpha Tau Omega
Alpha Tau Omega
Alpha Tau Omega is a secret American leadership and social fraternity.The Fraternity has more than 250 active and inactive chapters, more than 200,000 initiates, and over 7,000 active undergraduate members. The 200,000th member was initiated in early 2009...
fraternity house where it refused a cold chicken leg but made fast work of a live chicken. After a short stay in one of the Wildlife Department's animal pens, the eagle was moved into a cage built by the Auburn's Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of approximately 17,000 students, and over 350,000 alumni members...
fraternity. This would begin a 40-year period where Alpha Phi Omega was the bird's primary caretaker.
Jon Bowden, a fraternity brother who had previously worked with hawks in Colorado and Missouri, volunteered to serve as the bird's trainer. Formally named War Eagle III, Jon nicknamed the bird "Tiger." In April 1961, Jon and Tiger made their first appearance as trainer and mascot on the baseball diamond. Auburn was playing the Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wreck, Engineers, Blacksmiths, and Golden Tornado. There are 8 men's and 7 women's teams that...
and was trailing 10-13 in the eighth inning, but rallied in the ninth and scored 4 runs to win the game.
The students were receptive to the new mascot and expressed a concern for a larger cage to house War Eagle III. In 1964, on the morning of the football game against Tennessee, War Eagle III was seen by his trainer, A. Elwyn Hamer Jr., sitting on the ground next to his perch. He had sprung the clip on his leash and escaped. After several days of searching, the bird was found shot to death in a wooded area near Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, where the game was being played.
War Eagle IV (1964-1980)
The Birmingham Downtown Action Committee found another golden eagle in the Jackson, MississippiJackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
zoo and presented it to the Auburn student body in October 1964. This became War Eagle IV, also called "Tiger." She lived in a large aviary—until torn down in 2003 the second largest single-bird enclosure in the country—that had been funded and constructed by the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity and named for A. Elwyn Hamer Jr., War Eagle III's first trainer who had been killed in a plane crash in December 1965.
Throughout the years, the fraternity provided care and training for the mascot. On the morning of the 1980 Iron Bowl
Iron Bowl
The Iron Bowl is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Alabama Crimson Tide football team of the University of Alabama and the Auburn Tigers football team of Auburn University. The series is considered one of the best and most hard-fought rivalries in all of sports...
against Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
in Birmingham, she was found dead by her trainers, Tim Thomason, Charlie Jacks, Bob Ingram, and her former trainer Bill Watts, having died of natural causes at age 22, after having served as Auburn's mascot for 16 years. A marker in memory of War Eagle IV is located on the Auburn University campus near the former site of the aviary.
War Eagle V (1981-1986)
Through the efforts of War Eagle IV's trainers and with the financial support of the Birmingham Downtown Action, an immature golden eagle was located soon after the death of War Eagle IV and brought to Auburn from WyomingWyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. The bird arrived in Auburn on March 3, 1981 and was taken to the Veterinary School where she was kept for a short period in order to be examined for any signs of shock from travel. She was then transferred to a small cage until the annual "A Day" football game when she was presented to the University by the Birmingham Downtown Action Committee on May 9, 1981.
The bird was under the stewardship of the U.S. Government under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
and was on loan to the Auburn University Veterinary School. She was officially named War Eagle V, and nicknamed "Tiger" as was tradition. She was approximately two years old at her arrival and was very active on campus. She attended many university functions, Alumni meetings, schools, hospitals, the 1985 Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree
National Scout jamboree (Boy Scouts of America)
The national Scout jamboree is a gathering, or jamboree of thousands of members of the Boy Scouts of America, usually held every four years and organized by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Referred to as "the Jamboree", "Jambo", or NSJ, Scouts from all over the nation and world...
, and the 1986 National Order of the Arrow Conference.
On September 4, 1986, War Eagle V died of a ruptured spleen at the age of 8 and a half years old. War Eagle V was taken to Auburn's veterinary school the night before by her trainer, Jim McAlarney, who noticed that she was not behaving normally. McAlarney spent the night at the veterinary school while veterinarians made a futile effort to save the bird's life.
War Eagle VI (1986-2006)
The eagle trainers began working soon after the unexpected death of War Eagle V to find a new golden eagle. The Auburn University Alumni Association and many Auburn alumni contributed to the effort and a new eagle was located at the Tennessee Valley AuthorityTennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
Raptor Rehabilitation Facility in Land Between The Lakes
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
The Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in Kentucky and Tennessee between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. The area was designated a national recreation area by President John F. Kennedy in 1963...
, Kentucky. Trainers made the trip to the facility to receive Auburn's new mascot. The bird originally came from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, where she was seized by Federal agents as part of an illegal breeding operation and brought to Kentucky. Like War Eagle V, she was under the stewardship of the U.S. Government under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act and was on loan to the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. She arrived in Auburn on October 8, 1986 at an age of six years old. Like the two eagles before her, she was cared for by the members of Alpha Phi Omega and nicknamed Tiger.
During the 2000 football season, War Eagle VI began a tradition of performing a free flight before a home football game. War Eagle VI, and later other eagles kept by in the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center in Auburn, flew around the stadium before landing on the field as the crowd chanted "War Eagle".
In 2000, day-to-day care of War Eagle VI was turned over to the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center, ending the 40 year program of care by Alpha Phi Omega. Shortly thereafter, the bird was moved from the Hamer Aviary to the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation center. The Hamer Aviary was torn down in the summer of 2003. On February 8, 2002, War Eagle VI flew in Rice–Eccles Stadium as part of the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. War Eagle VI was featured the next day on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Today Show.
In the summer of 2003, allegations of improper care of the birds by the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center were leveled by the university administration and by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
. Many of the birds were suffering from diseases and malnourishment. After all investigations were concluded, War Eagle VI was allowed to fly again prior to Auburn home games. Currently, the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center uses three birds, Spirit, a bald eagle, Nova a golden eagle, and the aforementioned War Eagle VI (Tiger).
War Eagle VI's presence continues to be used as a wildlife educational tool.
On November 11, 2006, War Eagle VI was officially retired in a pregame ceremony before the Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
game
Deep South's Oldest Rivalry
The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played by the Auburn Tigers football team of Auburn University and the Georgia Bulldogs football team of the University of Georgia...
. During halftime of the same game, her successor, Nova, was named War Eagle VII. In her final game as War Eagle VI, Auburn defeated Arkansas State
Arkansas State Red Wolves football
The Arkansas State Red Wolves football team represents Arkansas State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football competition. The team was originally founded in 1911, and, since 2001, Arkansas State has competed as a member of the...
27-0, finalizing the team's record under War Eagle VI at 174-69-4. She saw two undefeated Auburn seasons, four SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
titles, and six SEC Western Division crowns.
War Eagle VII (2006–present)
Nova, Auburn's six-year-old golden eagle, was officially named War Eagle VII on November 11, 2006. He was born in the Montgomery Zoo in 1999 and moved to Auburn at six months of age. Prior to being named War Eagle VII, Nova had already participated in pre-game flights and conservation exhibits throughout the southeast.War Eagle was named the #4 mascot in a poll by Foxsports.
"War Eagle" as Auburn's fight song
"War Eagle" is the name of the university's official fight songFight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
. It is played before and after games, as well as immediately after Auburn scores by the Auburn University Marching Band
Auburn University Marching Band
The Auburn University Marching Band is the marching band of Auburn University and the 2004 recipient of the Sudler Intercollegiate Marching Band Trophy. With 380 members, the band traces its origins to 1897 when M. Thomas Fullan proposed to then-president Dr...
. (Auburn plays "Glory, Glory, to Ole Auburn" after an extra point.) In addition, the Samford Carillon, located in the clock tower of Samford Hall
Samford Hall
William J. Samford Hall is a structure on the campus of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. It is an icon of Auburn University and houses the school's administration. The building is named for William J...
, rings the fight song every day at noon.
"War Eagle" was written in 1954 and 1955 by New York songwriters Robert Allen and Al Stillman
Al Stillman
Al Stillman was an American lyricist.-Biography:Stillman was born in New York City. His name was originally Albert Silverman, but changed it to that of a well-known New York banking family. He was Jewish. He attended New York University. After graduation, he contributed to Franklin P...
. The "Auburn Victory March" had been the fight song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
for decades. The Jordan Vocational High School Band of Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
, under the direction of Bob Barr
Robert M. Barr
Bob Barr was the conductor of the famed Jordan High School Band in Columbus, Georgia from 1946 to 1963. Under his direction, the Jordan High School Band achieved the highest acclaim winning many state and national titles....
first performed the song during Auburn's 1955 season-opener versus Chattanooga
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a public university located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The University, often referred to as UTC or simply "Chattanooga" , is one of three universities and two other affiliated institutions in the University of Tennessee System; the others being in...
.
Auburn University currently does not hold ownership of the copyright for "War Eagle". The university did not renew it and the copyright is currently held by the estate of Robert Allen. Therefore, companies selling products with "War Eagle" being played must acquire licensing from the estate as well as Auburn University. There is a movement within the university to regain the ownership of the song.
In popular culture
In the late 1990s, syndicated radio talk host Jim RomeJim Rome
Jim Rome is an American sports radio talk show host syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications....
and his producer, Travis Rodgers, stayed in a hotel that was populated by Auburn alumni and other faithful. Rome mentioned on the air how he saw people greeting each other with "War Eagle". Within minutes, callers to Rome's show began signing off their calls with "War Eagle", presumably because it sounded iconoclastic in the parts of the country that are unfamiliar with SEC football.
Callers, emailers and texters to the Jim Rome show now often end their call/email/text with "War (something they like)." For instance, after a typical call you might hear "War the Lakers beating the Celtics" from a caller from Los Angeles.
External links
- Alpha Phi Omega, Delta Chapter - Caretakers of the War Eagle program from 1960 to 2000.
- Auburn University Marching Band