 |
|
| TIGERMOMMA EXPLAINS THE AUBURN MYSTIQUE: ALL ABOUT OUR NICKNAMES, OUR MASCOT AND THE TIGER/EAGLE, EAGLE NAMED TIGER |
 |
| This is Aubie |
| Let's get one thing straight, right at the beginning. Auburn's nickname is the Tigers Auburn's battle cry is War Eagle! The name Tigers comes from a line in Oliver Goldsmith's poem, "The Deserted Village", which was published in 1770, and was a favorite poem of Elizabeth Taylor Harper, who was the daughter-in-law of Auburn's founder, Judge John Jackson Harper. "where crouching tigers wait their hapless prey..." The settlement of Auburn was also named from another line in the same Goldsmith poem, "Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plain...". As Auburn athletes were, men from the Plains, it was a natural step for the press at the time to shorten the name to "Plainsmen". There is no such thing as an Auburn War Eagle, an Auburn Plainsman or Plainsmen or an Auburn Lady Tiger. We are the Tigers. War Eagle! is a battle cry, used by Auburn fans in the same manner Alabama fans yell "Roll Tide" or Arkansas fans yell "Sooie Pig". When was the last time you ever heard of Arkansas referred to as the Arkansas Sooie Pigs or Bama referred to as the Alabama Roll Tides? Through the years there have been hats and t-shirts with the term War Eagles erroneously emblazend upon them. Even the news media has been on occasion known to refer to an Auburn team as the War Eagles or to an Auburn player as a War Eagle. War Eagle! It is our battle cry, pure and simple, War Eagle! (or War Damn Eagle! if we are feeling particularily good about ourselves), and there should NEVER be an "S" at the end of it either! "It may be confusing to an outsider, but to Auburn people, it is very simple. That's why War Eagle IV, Auburn's golden eagle mascot, is named Tiger!"* *from the official Auburn Site for Auburn Tiger Athletics |