The eagle's pregame flight is one of the many traditions upon which Auburn is built.
Jessica Smith, junior in physical activity and health and member of the Auburn marching band, said she does not know how the tradition started.
"A friend actually asked me [last summer], and I didn't know, so I looked it up," Smith said.
According to Smith, she read a man had an eagle that flew around and out of Auburn's stadium, and because the man was a Civil War veteran, fans yelled "War eagle."
"I think that's a theory of how it started," Smith said.
Smith said she gets chills as she watches the eagle fly at every home game.
"I think it unifies the Auburn Family as a spirit that is unafraid," Smith said. "Because whenever you go somewhere and tell someone 'war eagle,' they say it back."
Although it is a young tradition, fans stand and yell every time the eagle circles Jordan-Hare Stadium.
"I always make sure I'm there in time to see Nova or Spirit fly," said Timothy Boosinger, provost and vice president of academic affairs.
Boosinger served as the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine when the tradition began in 2000.
According to Boosinger, employees of the Southeastern Raptor Center came up with the idea and wanted to train the birds to fly around the stadium.
"(The eagles) train like every other athlete," Boosinger said.
The birds are trained by first being released to fly around the lower decks of the stadium and then being released higher and higher into the upper levels, according to Boosinger.
Boosinger said he met with David Housel, former Auburn athletic director, on the field before the tradition began to discuss the possibility of using eagles in the games.
"I thought it was a great opportunity for the veterinary school to support Auburn and the athletic department," Boosinger said.
Other than supporting the idea from when it was originally proposed, Boosinger said he has no other ties to the origination of the tradition.
However, he said it is one of his favorite traditions.
"It is something everybody gets excited about," Boosinger said.
Boosinger said he has even met fans who say they come to Auburn games to see the eagle fly and then leave to watch the games on television.
Since the death of Tiger, the first eagle to fly before the game, two eagles named Nova and Spirit have circled Jordan-Hare before kickoff, according to Boosinger.
Marianne Hudson, assistant director of raptor training and education at the Southeastern Raptor Center, experiences the tradition from a different perspective than most.
Hudson is responsible for the educational programs at the Raptor Center, training the birds to fly in programs and to fly in the stadium.
"It's always a good feeling when the eagle has gotten excited and landed on its mark," Hudson said.
Hudson said she enjoys working with the birds because she "[loves] to give people the opportunity to see these birds up close."
"The flight of the war eagle gets you excited for the Auburn community and our team," Hudson said. "It feels great to be a part of the Auburn Family and see the spirit come alive."
According to Hudson, the tradition embodies the Auburn spirit because the eagles are symbolic of the Auburn battle cry war eagle.
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