Mike the Tiger
| Mike the Tiger | |
|---|---|
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Mike VI
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| University | Louisiana State University |
| Conference | SEC |
| Description | Royal Bengal tiger |
| Origin of name | In honor of athletic trainer Chellis "Mike" Chambers |
| First seen | October 21, 1936 |
Mike the Tiger is the official mascot of Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and serves as the graphic image of LSU sports. Mike is the name of both the live and costumed mascots.
By tradition the tiger is a live Bengal tiger, although the last two tigers were of mixed breeds. Mike V was a Bengali-Indochinese mix, while Mike VI was a Bengali-Siberian hybrid.
LSU's men's and women's sports teams are called the Fighting Tigers and Lady Tigers, respectively, and the university's football team plays its home games in Tiger Stadium. LSU first adopted its "Tigers" nickname in the fall of 1896. The moniker is a reference to the state's Confederate heritage; the Louisiana troops of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia became known as the Tigers during the Civil War in recognition of the bravery of two New Orleans brigades, the Tiger Rifles and the Washington Artillery (whose logo featured a snarling tiger's head).
Born on October 10, 1935, the first Mike was purchased from the Little Rock Zoo with money raised by collecting 25 cents from each LSU student for a total of $750. Originally named Sheik, the new mascot was renamed in honor of Mike Chambers, LSU's athletic trainer at the time, who was the person most responsible for bringing him to the school. (It was later discovered that "Sheik" may have been fond of his original name, because even years later, handlers could get him to roar just by calling "Sheik!") Mike assumed his duties as the living symbol of LSU only three days after arriving on campus on October 21, 1936. In the 1950s, Mike was kidnapped by Tulane fans before a Tiger-Green Wave football game. He was found, and returned safely in New Orleans—he and his cage sprayed Tulane green. Mike I lived for 20 years before dying of kidney disease in 1956. He has been displayed in the LSU Natural Sciences Museum on the campus in Baton Rouge.
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