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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Athletics Traditions
Why the Owls?
Florida Atlantic University earned the nickname “Owls” because the FAU campus was designated a burrowing owl sanctuary in 1971 by the Audubon Society. The burrowing owl was drawn here due to a lack of predators in the area. The feisty bird, traditionally associated with wisdom and determination, serves as the University's mascot.
What is a Burrowing Owl?
A Burrowing Owl is a small ground-dwelling Owl with a round head and no ear tuffs. They have white eyebrows, yellow eyes and long legs. The Owl is sandy colored on the head, back and upper parts of the wings. Burrowing Owls are easy to see because they are often active in daylight, and are bold and approachable. The females are usually darker than the males
The main call of a Burrowing Owl is mainly given by the adult males when near the burrow to attract a female. A who-who is given at the entrance of a promising burrow. This call is also associated with breeding and territory defense. They also make other sounds, which are described as chuck, chatter and scream. These sounds are usually accompanied by a bobbing of the head up and down.
Burrowing Owls feed on a variety of prey. They feed on things such as beetles, grasshoppers, small mammals, especially mice, rats and ground squirrels. Unlike other Owls, they also eat fruits and seeds, especially the fruit of Tesajilla and prickly pear cactus.
The nesting season begins in late March or April. Burrowing Owls are usually monogamous but occasionally a male will have 2 mates. Burrowing Owls nest underground in abandoned burrows dug by mammals or if soil conditions allow, they will dig their burrows. These burrows are usually found in open and dry grasslands. Adults usually return to their burrow every year.
Burrowing Owls are able to live for at least nine years in the wild and over 10 years in captivity. They have many natural enemies, including snakes, cats and dogs. They are listed as an endangered species.
The prOWLers
It all began during the men's basketball team's run for the ASUN Conference Championship in February 2002. A small group of FAU students rallied around the team, showing more support than most student spectators at the games, and adorning themselves in the university's trademark colors. This abundance of encouragement increased attendance at games and helped to create a true home-court advantage for FAU.
Pablo E. Paez, 2002 FAU SGA governor, along with Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity brother Will Pearson and student government leader Michael W. Moore, gathered this group of students and officially named them the "prOWLers."
In Fall 2002, Paez brought in freshman Rick "$mitty" Smith as the athletic director for student government. Smith's main duty was to ensure the future of the prOWLers as the official spirit group of FAU.
Smith reorganized the prOWLers in 2006 with the help of freshmen Jeffrey Osborne, Ryan Miller and Shawn Kings. With funding from the Student Alumni Association (SAA), and under the leadership of the SAA adviser Paul Metcalf, the prOWLers have since proven themselves as not only a group of spirited fans, but also student leaders.
The prOWLers can be found at most sporting events for FAU, teaching students and fans the university's fight songs and cheers, while carrying on tradition from year's past and creating new ones for years to come. The group also takes an active roll in fund-raising for the athletic department scholarship fund and the construction of new facilities, as well as attends national conferences to help other universities learn how to start traditions.
FAU Alma Mater
Click to listen
With the Gulf stream breezes blowing
The search for truth goes on.
Seeking, learning, sharing knowledge.
Finding the meaning of the past that is gone.
Where nature beams with pleasant weather.
We strive to learn to work together.
Florida Atlantic, we praise and hail thy name.
Composed by Clark Bell
The FAU Fight Song
Click to listen
We'll fight fight fight for F A U
Where home is a pa-ra-dise
We'll fight, fight, fight, for F A U
We know we're gonna win, and it's feelin' mighty nice
Cheering our hometown team down the field
and waving our colors too, Hoot! Hoot!
The fighting owls are on the prowl
Go F.A.U!
Music by Nathan Dean
The Shula Bowl
Each year, FAU plays FIU in the annual Shula Bowl game. The Shula Bowl, coined for Don Shula, the legendary former coach of the Miami Dolphins, gives bragging rights to the Owls or the Panthers. The close proximity between the two institutions and the shared growth of the football programs (FAU began its program in 2001, followed by FIU in 2002), has helped to strengthen and enhance the rivalry.
Florida Atlantic leads the all-time series, 17-4:
2002 - FAU 31-21 (MVPs: FIU - Jerrid Lundstedt, FAU - Jared Allen)
2003 - FAU 32-23 (MVPs: FIU - Adam Gorman, FAU - Jared Allen)
2004 - FAU 17-10 (MVPs: Cory McKinney, FAU - Jared Allen)
2005 - FIU 52-6 (FIU vanquished) (MVPs: FIU - Ben West, FAU - Thomas Parker)
2006 - FAU 31-0 (MVPs: FIU - Chandler Williams, FAU - Rusty Smith)
2007 - FAU 55-23 (MVPs: FIU - A'mod Ned, FAU - Rusty Smith)
2008 - FAU 57-50, OT (MVPs: FIU - Paul McCall, Rusty Smith)
2009 - FAU 28-21 (MVPs: FIU - Daunte Owens, FAU - Alfred Morris)
2010 - FAU 21-9 (MVPs: FIU - T.Y. Hilton, FAU - Lester Jean)
2011 - FIU 41-7 (MVPs: FIU - Kedrick Rhodes, FAU - Alfred Morris)
2012 - FIU 35-25 (MVPs: FIU - Jake Medlock, FAU - William Dukes)
2013 - FAU 21-6 (MVPs: FIU - Markeith Russell, FAU - Martin Wright)
2014 - FIU 38-10 (MVPs: FIU - Richard Leonard, FAU - Lucky Whitehead)
2015 - FAU 31-17 (MVPs: FIU - Alex Gardner, FAU - Trey Rodriguez)
2016 - FIU 33-31 (MVPs: FIU - Alex Gardner, FAU - Greg Howell)
2017 - FAU 52-24 (MVPs: FIU - Alex McGough, FAU - Kalib Woods)
2018 - FAU 49-14 (MVPs: FIU - James Morgan, FAU - Devin SIngletary)
2019 - FAU 37-7 (MVPs: FIU - Napoleon Maxwell, FAU - Malcolm Davidson)
2020 - FAU 38-19 (MVPs: FIU - D’Vonte Price, FAU - Javion Posey)
2021 - FAU 58-21 (MVPs: FIU - Max Bortenschlager, FAU - N’Kosi Perry)
2022 - FAU 52-7 (MVPs: FIU - Lexington Joseph, FAU - N’Kosi Perry)
2023 - No game
2024 - FAU 38-20 (MVPs: FIU - Eric Rivers, FAU - Wendol Philord)