It’s been a banner year for solving mascot mysteries, but we’re stumped.
Maybe we’re idiots. Maybe someone’s going to be all “what!!?? are y’all stupidd??11 That’s the so and so for so and so!”
All we know is that there exists in the 1988 Glomerata a caption-less photo taken at what looks to be an Auburn home football game (the context makes it seem like homecoming vs. Mississippi State) of an eagle mascot wearing a “War Damn Eagle” tank top, wing wrapped around Aubie like it ain’t no thang.
Did a rival school’s mascot lose a bet? Doubt it. The only team with a bird for a nickname we played that year was Kansas (Lord, that was a schedule), and it’s definitely not a jayhawk. Doesn’t look like the Seymour d’Campus (real name) from Southern Miss, either—and right, we didn’t play them that year.
Was it some some sort of promotional event for some sort of forgotten Eagle-in-the-name brand potato chips or sausage or gas station or energy drink or something?
Or once upon a less puritanical time—yes, we’re the Tigers, but trust us, this Tiger’s Only merchandising compulsion is relatively new—was there actually an eagle mascot walking the sidelines at Jordan-Hare Stadium, perhaps just for a single Saturday… just for kicks, just to see what would happen? And could it actually be that proposed eagle mascot we told you about, somehow hatched to life from that mid-70s, Alabama White Bear-era Biggin Hall drawing board?
We tried our best to get to the bottom of this one—well, not our best (haven’t hit the library yet), but pretty good. Now we’re content to simply post the photo and hope the bottom comes to us.
UPDATE: The bottom came pretty quick.
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Related: Mystery of the University of Alabama White Bear solved! / Auburn almost had a giant eagle mascot instead of Aubie / First Aubie poster ever?
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I’d check with Dr. Debbie Shaw, over at Alumni Affairs. For several years before she took the job as VP, she was “Aubie’s Mom”. She may have the answer for you, or know someone who can answer it. The eagle looks familiar, but I have no answer for you.
I remember sometime around then ( i graduated in 1988).a college without a football team somewhere up east adopted auburn as their football team. they sent a busload of people down for a game, it got alot of press at the time. their newspaper reported on auburn games, etc.
i remember their mascot came down for the game. i bet that is what this pic is from. i wiil rack my brain over the weekend and try to remember the college.
Great Website!
I have some really crappy Kodak 110 photos I took as a kid of some basketball game during Aubie’s inaugural MBB season. I’ll share them once we get into the conference season. Wait until you see what Georgia had before Hairy Dawg.
Matt is right! St. Joseph’s College. They were the Hawks. Called themselves Tiger-Hawks, if I remember correctly. From either Pennsylvania or New York…
Closeup of original Aubie suit (1980) – http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=265268750160821
In the 1980’s there was a St. Joseph’s school somewhere up North that adopted Auburn as its team. Seems like they didn’t have a football team and they were Eagles.