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On October 13, 2006 McMurry University president Dr. John Russell announced, that in compliance with the NCAA's pressure on 33 member institutions with Native American imagery and nicknames be removed, that the university would remove “Indians” as McMurry's nickname and forgo a mascot indefinitely. Friday, the McMurry University Board of Trustees approved a recommendation by the mascot selection committee to adopt War Hawks as the official nickname of the university and its athletic teams.
The announcement came at the completion of a five-month process that included two rounds of voting by students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the University; focus groups held in nine cities; and extensive committee research and deliberation. Nearly 4,000 votes were cast, and 70% of those votes were in support of War Hawks.
The War Hawk mascot was introduced to McMurry University on August 30, 2011 making a grand entrance arriving on a Abilene Fire Department truck with sirens on full blast, but he did not have a name.
McMurry President Dr. John Russell hosted the rededication ceremony of the Sacred Wind statue that is standing in the quad. The ceremony included the unveiling of a plaque on the base of the statue.
Part of the inscription of the plaque underneath the Sacred Wind statue reads, “Sacred wind emphasizes the significance of the Native American culture in the founding of McMurry University. In March 2011 McMurry adopted a new mascot, the War Hawk, and it is the Harris Hawk that sits on top the shoulder of Sacred Wind. As if foreshadowing the transformation.”
On September 8, 2011, the War Hawk mascot officially had a name, "Wally the War Hawk". This name choice came after a student wide vote that occurred over a three day span and included over 300 votes.
