Aubie the Tiger is one of the most nationally recognized school mascots. He has won Capital One Mascot of the Year 2014, UCA Mascot National Champion nine times, and was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2006.
Aubie's slogan: “Women love him, children adore him, and men want to be him.”
Few people, however, know about the behind-the-scenes efforts that take place to make sure Aubie is the best of the best.
Two Aubie advisors and three Aubie directors make up the team that works directly with Auburn’s mascot. Aubie does over 1,200 appearances in a year, resulting in a hectic show schedule that must go on without a hitch. The directors serve for no longer than two years and drive Aubie to his events, monitor where he goes and serve as a best pal for the friendliest tiger.
“Every time I’m at an appearance people are looking at me like ‘Do you want me to take a picture?'” said Rosemary Shelton, sophomore in marketing and management and the director of publicity for Aubie. “I literally just follow him around, it probably looks weird sometimes.”
The directors said they spend a large amount of their time sorting through the thousands of requests for Aubie’s attendance. He is at every athletic event and visits locations around campus such as the College of Sciences and Mathematics or Lowder Hall frequently, as well as local elementary schools, fundraisers and any large event around Auburn.
Shelton’s favorite part of working with Aubie is watching the reactions of students, alumni and children when they see Aubie. The mascot's ability to bring joy and excitement to any situation is one of the things that makes him so unique.
“It doesn’t matter if he’s walking into a room full of children, a college event in the student center or an Auburn event at a nursing home; he is always greeted with so much pure happiness,” said Kate Whindham, junior in health administration and director of fundraising for Aubie. “He can make someone’s day just by walking into a room or pulling up beside them at a red light.”
When the Sozo Children’s choir visited the school, Aubie took advantage of the opportunity to share the love of the Auburn family.
“At first the kids were a little freaked out, they had never met a mascot before,” Shelton said. “They finally began to dance with him and it was incredible to see them go from being so scared to absolutely lighting up with him. We tried to leave and couldn’t drive away because we were literally surrounded.”
Some of the busiest times for the directors are home football games. The directors get to the game four hours before kickoff to start the rotation of pre-game events, which include tailgating, visiting the Alumni tent and going to the president’s suite before Tiger Walk, Spirit March and the game. The directors said Aubie has about six props that he uses for his typical sideline shenanigans during the game that keep the student center hyped up and involved in the action.
“Gameday is nerve-wracking sometimes because everyone wants to stop and talk to Aubie,” Shelton said. “We want him to be as accessible to fans as possible, but sometimes we have to step in and make sure he gets where he needs to be. We can’t call the people at Tiger Walk and say ‘Hold the players, we’re stuck on the concourse.’”
The directors also make sure the opposing mascots and cheerleaders feel at home. For the Clemson game, Shelton escorted the spirit program around the field. The directors invited the other team to The Aubie House for goody-bags.
The Aubie House is a specifically designed residence for the fan-favorite tiger located at the football stadium, complete with a porch and furniture. It is one of the innumerable detail-specific aspects that adds to the uniqueness of Aubie.
“One of my favorite experiences working with Aubie was when I got to take him to the VIP party in the Letterman’s Lounge for the Kenny Chesney concert,” Shelton said. “Gus Malzahn spoke, Kenny sang and Miranda Lambert was there. I almost forgot what I was supposed to be doing; opportunities like these only come through programs such as being an Aubie director.”
Any student on campus can be a part of the Aubie committee, which meets every Tuesday before home football games at 8 p.m. in the loading dock of the student center. The committee paints and decorates any props Aubie wants for the game and always has food and drinks.
“Who Aubie is, his character, embodies everything that an Auburn student and someone in the Auburn family wants to be,” Shelton said. “He’s always welcoming, full of joy and just unconditional love for Auburn. He’s always there to give you a huge and make you feel special, even if you aren’t an Auburn fan.”
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