Well, I'm glad you asked and here's the answer.
During the War of Northern Aggression (or the Civil War as the damn yankees call it) an Auburn student was fighting with General Lee at the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia. The Auburn student was wounded and left for dead on the battlefield. The next day he awoke and when he looked around, all he saw was death and destruction as far as the eye could see. The only living creature he saw was a wounded baby eagle. The Auburn student took the wounded eagle and made his way back to camp. Bonded by their common misery, the eagle and the student became inseparable.
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. Because of the condition under which it was found, the bird became known as the "war" eagle.
It was a cold February day in 1892 when Auburn and Georgia played the first football game in the deep south at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Then, as now, the Auburn fans turned out en masse to follow their Tigers. Making the train ride to Atlanta that day was the professor and the eagle. The game was a defensive battle with both teams struggling to score points. During the game the eagle broke loose from his owner and circled over the stadium. The Auburn students would point to the sky and say "War Eagle". The football team heard the cry from the crowd and were inspired to score 10 points and wound up defeating Georgia by a final score of 10-0.
After the victory, the students and fans were on the field celebrating. The eagle landed at his masters feet and died of exhaustion, having given his all for an Auburn victory.
The phrase "War Eagle" is our battle cry, not our mascot. It means to always give your all in support of Auburn, much as that old eagle did back in 1892.
And now you know the rest of the story. There are several stories about the origin but I believe this one is most accurate.
Passion of the fans and various traditions are what make college football great. I'm looking forward to my first visit to Aggieland and learning about your traditions.
Welcome to Auburn
Welcome to the SEC
War Eagle!
During the War of Northern Aggression (or the Civil War as the damn yankees call it) an Auburn student was fighting with General Lee at the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia. The Auburn student was wounded and left for dead on the battlefield. The next day he awoke and when he looked around, all he saw was death and destruction as far as the eye could see. The only living creature he saw was a wounded baby eagle. The Auburn student took the wounded eagle and made his way back to camp. Bonded by their common misery, the eagle and the student became inseparable.
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. Because of the condition under which it was found, the bird became known as the "war" eagle.
It was a cold February day in 1892 when Auburn and Georgia played the first football game in the deep south at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Then, as now, the Auburn fans turned out en masse to follow their Tigers. Making the train ride to Atlanta that day was the professor and the eagle. The game was a defensive battle with both teams struggling to score points. During the game the eagle broke loose from his owner and circled over the stadium. The Auburn students would point to the sky and say "War Eagle". The football team heard the cry from the crowd and were inspired to score 10 points and wound up defeating Georgia by a final score of 10-0.
After the victory, the students and fans were on the field celebrating. The eagle landed at his masters feet and died of exhaustion, having given his all for an Auburn victory.
The phrase "War Eagle" is our battle cry, not our mascot. It means to always give your all in support of Auburn, much as that old eagle did back in 1892.
And now you know the rest of the story. There are several stories about the origin but I believe this one is most accurate.
Passion of the fans and various traditions are what make college football great. I'm looking forward to my first visit to Aggieland and learning about your traditions.
Welcome to Auburn
Welcome to the SEC
War Eagle!
"I support Coach Sumlin and the Fightin' Texas Aggies! 