Longtime Auburn writer Brian Stultz has shared a deeply personal tribute to his late mother, reflecting on how a simple phrase “War Eagle” became a symbol of unconditional love, unwavering support and an enduring connection that stretched across decades of his life.
In an emotional essay published several weeks after her passing, Stultz remembered his mother, Sue Stultz, who died on June 19 following a lengthy illness. While she may never have fully understood Auburn University’s famous battle cry, she embraced it wholeheartedly because she knew how much it meant to her son.
For Brian, those two words eventually came to represent much more than school spirit—they became a reminder of a mother’s constant encouragement, no matter where life took him.
A tradition that lasted for years
Throughout Brian’s career covering Auburn athletics, there was one tradition he could always count on.
Whenever the Tigers played a major football game, secured a dramatic victory, or enjoyed a memorable athletic moment, his phone would buzz with a familiar text message from his mother.
The message was almost always the same:
“War Eagle!”
Sometimes she even added a cheerful “HEY” at the end, despite never truly understanding the phrase’s history or deeper meaning.
Brian admitted he often wondered whether his mother actually knew what “War Eagle” represented. Although she had attended Auburn’s Camp War Eagle orientation alongside him before his freshman year, he suspected she never completely grasped the university tradition.
That never mattered.
She knew Auburn was important to her son, and that alone made it important to her.
Messages he wishes he had answered
Looking back, Brian says those texts have become some of his most treasured memories.
Most of the time, he responded.
Occasionally, however, the demands of his work covering games—whether rushing to postgame interviews or sitting through lengthy press conferences—caused him to forget.
Now, those missed replies remain among his biggest regrets.
“They were just texts,” he reflected, “but today they mean everything.”
A difficult year for the Stultz family
The tribute also revealed the painful reason readers had not seen many of Brian’s recent articles.
Since March, his parents’ home in Kentucky had become the center of a prolonged medical battle as his mother’s health steadily declined.
Comparing the experience to an endless episode of the television drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” Brian described months filled with hospital visits, uncertainty and emotional exhaustion before his mother ultimately passed away after battling illness for years.
He admitted that grieving the loss of a parent has been unlike anything he has ever experienced.
Some weeks seem to disappear in an instant, he wrote, while individual days can feel unbearably long.
An Auburn fan raised in Kentucky basketball country
Brian’s journey to Auburn was anything but ordinary.
Growing up in Kentucky, surrounded by a family of devoted University of Kentucky graduates, nearly every weekend revolved around Wildcats athletics.
Family trips to Rupp Arena for basketball and Commonwealth Stadium—which Brian jokingly refuses to call by its current name, Kroger Field—for football became longstanding family traditions.
Yet despite being raised in the heart of Big Blue Nation, Brian chose a completely different path.
He developed a passion for Auburn University, becoming the lone Auburn supporter in an otherwise Kentucky household.
His decision surprised his family, especially his mother.
Choosing Auburn wasn’t easy
When Brian received his acceptance letter from Auburn during the summer of 1998, his mother wasn’t ready to let her youngest child move nearly nine hours away from home.
Not long afterward, an application to the University of Kentucky mysteriously appeared on the family kitchen table.
It was a subtle attempt to convince him to stay closer to home.
But Brian remained determined.
Eventually, his parents accepted his decision, even if it meant sending their youngest son hundreds of miles away.
That decision would forever change not only Brian’s life but also his parents’ relationship with Auburn.
Auburn became a family affair
Once Brian enrolled, both of his parents attended Camp War Eagle, Auburn’s orientation program for incoming students and their families.
Although the traditions and terminology were unfamiliar, they embraced the experience because it mattered to their son.
Over the years, his mother gradually adopted Auburn customs, even if she never fully understood them.
She learned enough to proudly cheer for the Tigers, celebrate victories and eagerly watch games simply because Brian loved the school.
According to him, that was the essence of her support.
She didn’t have to understand every tradition.
She only needed to understand that Auburn had become a major part of her son’s life.
Protecting his parents from online negativity
As Brian’s career covering Auburn athletics expanded, he intentionally shielded both of his parents from the often-toxic world of online sports discussions.
He joked that he successfully kept his mother away from Auburn message boards and social media comment sections, where passionate fans can often become overly critical.
He even convinced his father to avoid reading online reactions as well.
Instead, his parents experienced Auburn through Brian’s reporting and television appearances.
Whenever she saw him on television covering the Tigers, another text message would soon arrive.
Sometimes she commented on the game.
Sometimes she simply reminded him she had seen him on TV.
Those small moments became priceless memories.
Remembering happier times
Rather than focusing on the difficult final years of his mother’s life, Brian says he wants to remember her through those joyful exchanges.
He recalled her excitement during memorable Auburn moments, including the legendary 2013 Iron Bowl, when Auburn stunned Alabama on the famous “Kick Six” play.
After the game, she texted him asking if he was still alive, worried that the emotional roller coaster had been too much for her son.
Those are the moments Brian now treasures most.
A season without familiar messages
As another Auburn football season approaches, Brian knows something will be different.
When the Tigers score a dramatic touchdown…
When Auburn wins a rivalry game…
When another unforgettable athletic moment unfolds…
His phone will remain silent.
There will be no familiar “War Eagle!” text waiting for him.
There will be no questions about Auburn gymnastics star Suni Lee, whom his mother often asked about after recalling her own days as a cheerleader.
Those simple conversations, once routine, have now become irreplaceable memories.
A final farewell
Brian concluded his heartfelt tribute with the same phrase his mother faithfully sent him for years.
“War Eagle, Mom! Love and miss you.”
For Auburn fans, the story serves as a reminder that the university’s traditions often extend far beyond football fields and basketball courts.
Sometimes, a simple greeting exchanged between a mother and son becomes a lifelong symbol of love, family and unwavering support—one that endures long after the final whistle has blown.
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