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Auburn v. Florida State
- Thread starter the_great_white
- Start date
Damn, took the dog out and missed it.
This answer reminds me of that campfire game where you whisper a story to the person next to you in a circle at at the end it's totally wrong.
truth is nobody really knows there are at least half a doz stories as to where war eagle came from....
off their own website..
Welcome to AU Home > Traditions
[h=3]A-Day[/h] Each spring, a Founder's Day celebration is held in Auburn. As part of this celebration, the football team plays a scrimmage game that gives Auburn fans a chance to preview the Tigers before the fall. Fans come from all over to see the A-Day game. [h=3]Mascots[/h] Auburn's costumed Tiger mascot is in his 24th season as a spirit leader and goodwill ambassador for Auburn University. A popular character among Auburn fans and one of the more animated mascots in the country, Aubie has been on the job since 1979. His crazy antics and mischievous personality helped transform Aubie into the mascot we all love today. Some of his endeavors, as well as his constant promotion of Auburn spirit, are why Aubie was selected as the #1 collegiate mascot in the entire nation in 1991, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2006 by the Universal Cheerleaders Association. Check out: http://www.auburn.edu/aubie/
"War Eagle" is Auburn's battle cry, not a mascot or nickname. The most popular story about the battle cry dates back to the first time Auburn met Georgia on the football field in 1892 and centers around a spectator who was a veteran of the Civil War. In the stands with him that day was an eagle the old soldier had found on a battlefield during the war. He had kept it as a pet for almost 30 years. According to witnesses, the eagle suddenly broke free and began majestically circling the playing field. As the eagle soared, Auburn began a steady march toward the Georgia end zone for a thrilling victory. Elated at their team's play and taking the bird's presence as an omen of success, Auburn students and fans began to yell "War Eagle" to spur on their team. At the game's end, the eagle took a sudden dive, crashed into the ground, and died. But the battle cry "War Eagle" lived on to become a symbol of the proud Auburn spirit.
The 1914 contest with the Carlisle Indians provides another story. The toughest player on the Indians' team was a tackle named Bald Eagle. Trying to tire the big man, Auburn began to run play after play 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 imposing defensive man. Spectators, however, thought the quarterback was saying "War Eagle," and in unison, they began to chant the resounding cry. There is another story surrounding the 1914 Carlisle game. Each time the Indians had scored during the season, fans and the Carlisle players yelled, "War Eagle." But on this particular afternoon, it was Auburn's own Lucy Hairston who adopted the battle cry as he danced across the goal line for the only touchdown of the game.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Another version of the War Eagle story comes from Indian lore. 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 bonnets. The rarest version of the 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!" History was made as the new cry echoed throughout the stadium the next day as Auburn battled Georgia. [/FONT]
I'm pretty sure the eagle story is from the Civil War, and the story is that the company of soldiers saved an injured eagle. They were from Alabama of course. I'm not positive it was an all-Auburn group of men. War Eagle!
War Eagle is a battle cry, yell, or motto of Auburn University and supporters of Auburn University sports teams, especially the Auburn Tigers football team. War Eagle is a common term of endearment, greeting, or salutation among the Auburn Family (e.g., students, alumni, fans). It is also the title of the university's fight song and the name of the university's golden eagles. It is incorrect to say the War Eagle battle cry in the plural, as in "War Eagles."
The widespread use of "War Eagle" by Auburn devotees has often led to outside confusion as to Auburn's official mascot. However, the official mascot of Auburn University is Aubie the Tiger, and all Auburn athletic teams, men's and women's, are nicknamed the Tigers. Auburn has never referred 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.'"
"Nova", officially named "War Eagle VII", ready to fly untethered above the stadium before Auburn's game versus South Carolina in 2010.
Since 1930, and continuously since 1960, Auburn has kept an actual eagle as a live, untethered mascot flying over the football stadium at athletic events. War Eagle VII, a Golden Eagle named Nova, along with Spirit, a Bald Eagle, perform the War Eagle Flight before all Auburn home games at Jordan–Hare Stadium. War Eagle VI, named Tiger, has retired from the War Eagle Flight, but is still present on campus.
The widespread use of "War Eagle" by Auburn devotees has often led to outside confusion as to Auburn's official mascot. However, the official mascot of Auburn University is Aubie the Tiger, and all Auburn athletic teams, men's and women's, are nicknamed the Tigers. Auburn has never referred 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.'"
"Nova", officially named "War Eagle VII", ready to fly untethered above the stadium before Auburn's game versus South Carolina in 2010.
Since 1930, and continuously since 1960, Auburn has kept an actual eagle as a live, untethered mascot flying over the football stadium at athletic events. War Eagle VII, a Golden Eagle named Nova, along with Spirit, a Bald Eagle, perform the War Eagle Flight before all Auburn home games at Jordan–Hare Stadium. War Eagle VI, named Tiger, has retired from the War Eagle Flight, but is still present on campus.
that looked a little familiar........
