Mike The Tiger 6
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mike the Tiger is the official mascot of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and serves as the graphic image of LSU sports. By tradition a live Bengal tiger, the last two tigers were of mixed breeds. Mike V was a Bengali-Indochinese mix, while Mike VI is a Bengali-Siberian hybrid.[1]
Since the 1950s, Mike the Tiger has also been portrayed by a costumed student. Costumed Mike appears at most LSU sporting events and also appears at several LSU-related functions. In August of 2007, Costumed Mike was featured on a This Is Sportscenter Commercial with LSU alum Shaquille O'Neal.[2]
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).[3]
Contents |
[edit] History of Mike the Tiger
[edit] Mike VI (2007-)
After Mike V's death the university was contacted by PETA and urged not to replace him with a new tiger. LSU chancellor Sean O'Keefe responded to PETA's request stating that LSU will indeed be acquiring a new tiger, and further defended its decision by noting that four of the five 'Mikes' lived to be at least 17 years, nearly twice the normal 8-10 year lifespan of tigers in the wild; further, that tigers were currently a critically endangered species in the wild and any attempt to preserve them as a species would require some level of raising them in captivity such as at LSU's veterinary school.[4] LSU did not wish to buy a tiger but instead sought for one to be donated to the school. On July 27, 2007 WBRZ ABC News 2 announced that LSU had located a tiger at Great Cats of (Idaville) Indiana, an Indiana-based large cat and carnivore rescue facility. [5]
"Roscoe" arrived in Baton Rouge on Saturday, August 25, 2007 after a plane ride from Indiana and was kept quarantined in the "night house" in the LSU habitat, away from the public. On August 31, 2007, LSU officials decided that the tiger was adjusting well and allowed him into the public habitat during morning outings. He was returned to the night house each evening. On his first outing on September 1, 2007, LSU staff invited members of the media and the public to view and take photographs of the tiger.[6][7]
On September 8, 2007, LSU staff acknowledged that "He’s Mike VI" in a press release.[8]. A ceremony dedicating the tiger as officially "Mike VI" took place on September 14, 2007,[9] Mike VI was to make his Death Valley debut at the September 22 game against the University of South Carolina. [10][11], but LSU Veterinarian David Baker felt that a day game would be rough for the new tiger, delaying his anticipated debut until the October 6, 2007 night game against the University of Florida.[12][13]
Mike VI is a two-year old Siberian-Bengal mix male currently weighing over 300 pounds. The product of an "unintended breeding" at Great Cats, University staff believe his youth, size and temperament may give the athletic department a "more ferocious mascot much sooner than watching a cub grow up at LSU."[14] Estimates by LSU Veterinary staff are that Mike VI may top out at 700 lbs or more, making him LSU's largest tiger mascot ever.[15]
In Mike VI's first year as the LSU tiger, the LSU football team won the BCS National Championship for the 2007 college football season.
[edit] New Habitat
In 2005, a new $3 million habitat was created for Mike. The Tiger Athletic Foundation (TAF) raised funds, entirely from private sources, to subsidize the construction project. The habitat features state-of-the-art technologies and includes among its amenities lush plantings, a waterfall, a flowing stream that empties into a wading pond, and rocky plateaus. The new habitat ranks among the largest and finest Tiger preserves in the country and expanded Mike's home from 2,000 to 15,000 square feet. It also features research, conservation, and husbandry programs, as well as educational, interpretive, and recreational activities. Mike's new home can be viewed via the live Tigercam.[16]
[edit] Retirement
After the death of Mike III in 1976 while he was still LSU's active mascot, a three-stage retirement plan was instituted for the tigers: [17]
- Stage 1: He no longer participates in pre-game events such as the roar before the game.
- Stage 2: He stops attending the games altogether.
- Stage 3: He retires to another location.
[edit] Traditions
- On home football game days, Mike's cage on wheels is parked by the opponent's locker room at the southeast end of Tiger Stadium. Opposing players must pass by Mike's cage in order to reach their locker room.
- With his cage topped by the LSU cheerleaders, Mike rides through Tiger Stadium before the start of home games.
- According to tradition, LSU will score a touchdown for every one of Mike's roars on game day.
- After a new search for a mascot is announced, the public eagerly anticipates for white smoke to blow from the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, announcing that the new tiger has been located, mimicking the white smoke which billows from the Sistine Chapel when a new Pope is elected. [18]
[edit] Further Reading
- David G. Baker and W. Sheldon Bivin, Mike the Tiger: The Roar of LSU, LSU Press (2003) ISBN 0-8071-2888-0
- David G. Baker and Margaret Taylor Stewart, Tales of Mike the Tiger: Facts and Fun for Everyone LSU Press (2006) ISBN 0-8071-3118-0
[edit] References
| References |
|---|
| [[1]] |
| [[2]] |
| [[3]] |
| [[4]] |
| [[5]] |
| [[6]] |
