The story tells of a Civil War veteran and his pet eagle he had found on a battlefield and rescued. During the game, the eagle soared into the sky over their field as the Auburn football team simultaneously charged the Georgia end zone and achieved their first, exhilarating win over Georgia. After the Tigers’ victory, the eagle suddenly nose-dived, crashed into the field and died. But the “War Eagle†lived on in the hearts and spirits of proud Auburn fans everywhere.
Oh and Auburn has three mascots the tigers, the war eagles, and the plains men.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auburn_University_traditions