Before each home athletic competition, Illinois State student-athletes touch the Battle Bird, a likeness of the Redbird logo. The ceremony signifies a dedication to Illinois State and a common bond to the school's other student-athletes, past and present.

The sculpture was unveiled in 2000. Each year, a Redbird fan bids for the right to be known for a full year as 'The Keeper of the Bird.' The first was Laverne "Speed" Chagnon, a Redbird tennis standout in the late 1940s and early 1950s.