At the beginning of the Monday night Alabama and Clemson game in Tampa, a Bald Eagle flew over the stadium.
The 27-year-old Bald Eagle is named Challenger and he hails from Pigeon Forge. On Tuesday, Challenger was seen at the Nashville International Airport as he was making his way home.
Brentwood resident, John Zelenak, was lucky enough to grab some video of the famous eagle at the airport.
Challenger is the first Bald Eagle in U.S. history trained to free-fly into major sports stadiums, arenas, and ballrooms during the National Anthem. Challenger’s first performance was the Bassmaster Classic in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1995. Since that time, some of his biggest appearances have included five MLB World Series, Fiesta Bowls, NFL Pro-Bowls, BCS National Championships, NCAA Men’s Final Four tournaments, Disney’s Animal Kingdom grand opening, the Daytona 500, several Celebrity Fight Nights, White House appearances, Presidential Inaugurations, the Endangered Species Act Bald Eagle delisting ceremony, the Pentagon, U.S. Capitol Building, the World War II Memorial groundbreaking, NFL and MLB games across the US, and numerous national TV shows including Dateline NBC, Fox and Friends, Good Morning America, the David Letterman Show, and Larry King Live.
Challenger has performed over 380 free flight demonstrations at major league and collegiate sporting events, conventions, trade shows, and fundraising galas across the U.S., plus hundreds of additional appearances and flights at schools and veterans homes.
Challenger’s image is on a Tennessee specialty license plate and on specialty coins issued by the U.S. Mint. No other specific animal has ever had its image placed on a coin minted by the U.S. Mint.
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