Lions And Tigers And Chicken Sandwiches– Oh, My!

Creak, creeeeeak! That’s me trying to sneak into my own blog. Note to self: get some oil for that door!

Sorry. I’m embarrassed to have been away for so long. Pretend you don’t see me… : )

I just completed a big project. I need a break from it, however, so– with your kind permission– I’ll talk about something else: namely, a fun assignment I had last fall.

It was for Chick-fil-A, the restaurant chain famous for its chicken sandwiches.

Chick-fil-A sponsors a kickoff game on the opening weekend of the American college football season. The game is played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The 2015 Kickoff Game pitted the Louisville Cardinals against the Auburn Tigers.

My assignment: create a promotional illustration for the Chick-fil-A website. Here’s the final:

As you may have guessed, the team mascot for the Louisville Cardinals is a cardinal, and the mascot for the Auburn Tigers is a tiger.

Yup, makes sense.

They both have tough jobs. Here’s Aubie the Tiger, for example, watching the game. Apparently, he also does a little personal coaching…

Louie the Cardinal knows how to get the fans excited. Looks like he also knows how to get a back rub…

Why the parachute? Believe it or not, Louie skydives down onto the field before each Louisville home game.

And where does the eagle fit in? That’s Auburn’s famous War Eagle. Here’s what he looks like in flight:

War Eagle is an unofficial second mascot for Auburn’s athletic teams. There are several stories and legends about his origin. My personal favorite, courtesy of Wikipedia, is definitely this one:

A soldier from Alabama was the sole Confederate survivor of The Battle of the Wilderness (1864). Stumbling across the battlefield, he came across a wounded young eagle. The bird was named Anvre, and was cared for and nursed back to health by the soldier.

Several years later the soldier, a former Auburn student, returned to college as a faculty member, bringing the bird with him. For years both were a familiar sight on campus and at events.

On the day of Auburn’s first football game in 1892 against the University of Georgia, the aged eagle broke away from his master during the game and began to circle the field, exciting the fans. But at the end of the game, with Auburn victorious, the eagle fell to the ground and died.

And if that’s not the truth, it should be!  : )

Beginning in 1930, and continuously since 1960, War Eagle has flown over Auburn’s football field before every home game. The current War Eagle is actually War Eagle VII (2006-present). Unlike Louie, he doesn’t need a parachute.

Here’s the illustration again. It’s a good example of a company using social media and fun unique custom illustration to promote a major event. BTW: Auburn won, 31-24. 

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Do you use social media to promote company-sponsored events?

Has anyone ever worked as a team mascot? What’s it like in there??

Are there any Confederate war veterans out there who can confirm the War Eagle story??

Hope you’ll leave a comment.