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Auburn Tigers and the War Eagle

The Auburn Tigers are part of the powerhouse SEC conference and have won 18 NCAA Championships in their various sports. There are many traditions tied into Auburn Athletics, like a spirited crowd of Tiger fans lining the street for Tiger Walk and the infamous War Eagle battle cry that any Auburn faithful loves to shout during games. While the War Eagle chant unites Tiger fans, it often confuses any opposing fans as to what an Eagle has to do with Tigers?

There are numerous versions as to how War Eagle became a part of Auburn tradition, but as the most popular story goes, in 1892 during the first football game against Georgia, a Civil War veteran was in the stands with his pet eagle that he had found and kept during the war. The eagle broke free from its owner and soared over the field as the Auburn team defeated their opponent, prompting the crowd to chant "War Eagle." After Auburn had clinched the victory, the eagle sadly crashed to the field and died, but his spirit lives on every time an Auburn Tigers faithful yells "War Eagle!" or its popular variation of "War Damn Eagle!" To this day, the War Eagle spirit is still kept alive and actively used by all Auburn University students and alumni as a greeting, salutation or way to show their Auburn pride.