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The eagle flying before Auburn’s home football games is a tradition uniquely Auburn. Be sure to be in your seats at least 25 minutes before kickoff to ensure you arrive in time to see these flights!

For more than 100 years, eagles have been associated with Auburn University's football program. Eagles stir emotions in many people as they symbolize strength, power, courage, and other important values such as freedom, American heritage, and the preservation of our environment.

The role of Auburn University's eagles is to promote wildlife conservation as a part of the education initiatives of the U.S. Fish Wildlife Service and the College of Veterinary Medicine's Southeastern Raptor Center. The Service permits the Raptor Center to house eagles and use them on hundreds of annual educational presentations — including Auburn's home football games.

Auburn's most famous eagle was Tiger (War Eagle VI), who was hatched in captivity in 1980 and came to live at Auburn University in 1986. A frequent sideline fixture, she was the first eagle to free fly at the Wyoming game on Aug. 31, 2000. She flew prior to many games, educational programs, and the 2002 Winter Olympics. Tiger made her last stadium flight at the Georgia game in November 2006 and retired. Tiger died on June 18, 2014, at age 34, outliving the average lifespan of a golden eagle.

Current Eagles:

Spirit - Spirit arrived at the center in August 1998 and now serves as one of our raptor ambassadors. Spirit was discovered as a fledgling in Florida in 1996 with an injured beak and wing. Her wing was fixed, but her damaged beak makes her non-releasable. Spirit was the first Bald Eagle to fly before a game at Jordan-Hare Stadium and she made her first pre-game flight September 28th, 2002. Spirit is very vocal and crowds usually hear her before she is presented.

Aurea – Aurea came to the center in 2016 after being found near Selma, Alabama with an injury to her right wing. Unfortunately, the aftermath of the injury left her permanently unable to regain normal flight stamina, and she was deemed non-releasable. Her first stadium flight was on November 17, 2018 prior to the Auburn vs. Liberty game. She was officially named War Eagle VIII on November 22, 2019.

Independence -or Indy for short, came to the center in 2018 from a Florida rehabilitation center where she was admitted as a baby with a wing injury. Although her wing healed, she imprinted on people during her time in rehab and therefore, is non-releasable. She now serves as one of our ambassadors and helps us educate thousands of people about the importance of raptors. She made her debut Auburn pre-game flight during the 2021 football season.