Auburn Football: Breaking Down Tigers' Nicknames, Battle Cry and Mascots | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Auburn has been referred to at times as the “War Eagles” because of the “War Eagle” battle cry that is yelled at games, and used as a greeting between Auburn people in airports, national parks and on game day. 

“War Eagle” is a battle cry, not a mascot. The Tigers do have an eagle on the sideline of every game that is named Tiger, but Tiger is not the mascot—it is more of an emblem of the Auburn spirit. 

There are a number of stories that surround the tradition of “War Eagle,” with no single story carrying the distinction as the only true reason the Tigers gained the “War Eagle” battle cry. 

The most popular—and most repeated—story about the “War Eagle” cry comes from the first football game that Auburn played when the Tigers faced Georgia at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. A Civil War veteran was in attendance with his pet eagle that he had picked up on a battlefield some 30 years prior to the game. 

According to eyewitness accounts of the game, the pet eagle broke loose right as the Auburn team was making a charge down the field, guiding the Tigers to a victory. The Auburn fans in attendance yelled “War Eagle” and according to the tradition the battle cry was born. 

Another story that could have led to the battle cry started with a 1914 game against the Carlisle Indians. The Indians were rumored to have a formidable defensive tackle that went by the name Bald Eagle. 

The Tigers attempted to wear down the inside man and called numerous plays that went in his direction. The quarterback for Auburn would yell “Bald Eagle” before the play, but legend says that Tigers fans heard “War Eagle” and began to chant it during the game, beginning the battle cry tradition. 

Another story says that the “War Eagle” phrase was born from American Indian lore that labeled the largest golden eagle on the plains the “War Eagle” as the war headdress feathers would be pulled from the large golden eagle. 

The most outlandish story says that before the 1913 Georgia game, a pep rally was held and a speech from cheerleader Gus Graydon stirred the crowd as he said “If we are going to win this game, we'll have to get out there and fight, because this means war.” Shortly after, a student named E.T. Enslen was in military dress and dropped something from his hat. 

It was a metal eagle emblem and when asked by a fellow student what it was, Enslen yelled it was a “War Eagle,” and the battle cry was born.

No one story holds the distinction as the only “War Eagle” story, but that simply adds to the mystique that is the Auburn “War Eagle” tradition.