Mike the Tiger: The Story of LSU’s Live Mascot and All Seven Mikes

There are college football mascots, and then there is Mike the Tiger.

For nearly 90 years, a live tiger named Mike has been part of life at LSU. Generations of students have walked past his home on North Stadium Drive. Families stop to see him before football games. Visiting fans make the short walk across from Tiger Stadium hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

The current Mike, Mike VII, continues a tradition that began in 1936. LSU says he is the only live tiger mascot in the United States and the only live tiger living on a college campus.

Seven numbered Mikes have represented LSU, although the unusual story of Mike II means there were probably eight individual tigers.

The tradition started with a tiger named Sheik and an LSU athletic trainer named Chellis “Mike” Chambers.

How Mike the Tiger Got His Name

The story began in 1934 when LSU athletic trainer Chellis “Mike” Chambers joined Athletic Director T. P. Heard, swimming coach William G. “Hickey” Higginbotham and LSU law student Ed Laborde in an effort to bring a real tiger to campus.

LSU students helped pay for him. The group collected 25 cents from each student and raised $750 to purchase a roughly 200 pound, one year old tiger from the Little Rock Zoo.

The tiger had been born on October 10, 1935. His original name was Sheik.

After he came to LSU, Sheik was renamed Mike in honor of Chambers, whom LSU credits as the person most responsible for bringing the tiger to Baton Rouge.

Mike I arrived on campus on October 21, 1936.

Every LSU live tiger mascot since then has carried the name Mike.

All Seven Mikes

LSU officially recognizes seven numbered live tiger mascots. Because LSU’s own historical research strongly supports the story that the original Mike II died shortly after arriving and was secretly replaced, the seven numbered Mikes may represent eight individual animals.

Mike I: Born October 10, 1935. LSU mascot from 1936 to 1956. Died June 29, 1956.
Mike II: The first Mike II was born February 28, 1956, and arrived at LSU in September 1956. LSU says legend and historical evidence indicate he died of pneumonia less than a month later at about eight months old. A second tiger apparently replaced him and continued under the name Mike II. That tiger died May 15, 1958.
Mike III: Born November 26, 1957. LSU mascot from 1958 to 1976. Died August 12, 1976.
Mike IV: Born May 15, 1974. LSU mascot from 1976 to 1990. He retired to the Baton Rouge Zoo and died March 3, 1995.
Mike V: Born October 19, 1989. LSU mascot from 1990 to 2007. Died May 18, 2007.
Mike VI: Born July 23, 2005. LSU mascot from 2007 to 2016. Died October 11, 2016.
Mike VII: Born September 13, 2016. Became LSU’s mascot on August 21, 2017, and remains LSU’s live mascot in 2026.

Each Mike has added something different to the tradition.

Mike I Creates an LSU Tradition

Mike I arrived at LSU in October 1936 and remained the university’s mascot for nearly 20 years.

He quickly became a campus celebrity. One of the best known stories from his reign involved LSU rival Tulane. Before a football game, Tulane students kidnapped Mike, cage and all. He was eventually returned with his cage painted green.

LSU and heavily favored Tulane played to a 14 to 14 tie.

Mike I lived much longer than many captive tigers of his era. He died on June 29, 1956, from complications associated with kidney disease.

After his death, LSU raised money to preserve his pelt. Mike I remains on display at LSU’s Museum of Natural Science.

By then, LSU no longer simply had a tiger.

It had a tradition that students wanted to continue.

The Strange Story of Mike II

The history of Mike II is one of the more unusual stories connected to LSU athletics.

After Mike I died, Louisiana State Representative Kenneth Deshotel introduced a resolution supporting the purchase of another tiger. LSU students created the Mike the Tiger Fund and raised money for a successor.

Mike II was born at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans on February 28, 1956. He arrived secretly at LSU on September 28 and was introduced publicly the following day.

According to LSU’s official history, legend says Mike II died of pneumonia less than a month after arriving. He was only about eight months old.

The university did not announce his death.

Instead, Mike disappeared from public view. A statement in the LSU Daily Reveille said the tiger was having trouble adjusting to his enclosure.

LSU’s historical account says another young tiger was located at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.

For years, the story that Mike II had been replaced was treated as a rumor. LSU now says there is significant evidence supporting it. Photographs taken before and after Mike’s absence clearly show different facial markings, which is particularly important because the stripe patterns on a tiger’s face are unique.

The second tiger continued to be called Mike II.

He died at the Audubon Zoo on May 15, 1958, from complications associated with multiple fractures of his left rear leg.

Officially there have been seven numbered Mikes.

In reality, there were probably eight individual tigers.

Mike III Arrives for a National Championship

Mike III was born on November 26, 1957, and came from the Seattle Zoo.

LSU students raised $1,500 to help purchase and transport him to Baton Rouge. LSU’s official history says the tiger itself ultimately cost $950, with another $100 needed for transportation.

Mike III arrived at LSU in late August 1958.

His public debut came at LSU’s first home football game on October 4 against Hardin Simmons. LSU won 20 to 6.

That was only the beginning.

The 1958 Tigers went undefeated and won the national championship during Mike III’s first season as mascot.

Mike III remained at LSU for almost 18 years. During the final year of his life, responsibility for the tiger formally shifted from the LSU Athletic Department to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine.

Mike III died of pneumonia on August 12, 1976.

Mike IV Escapes and Later Retires

Mike IV was born at Busch Gardens in Tampa on May 15, 1974. August A. Busch III donated him to LSU in 1976, and he arrived in Baton Rouge on August 29.

His years at LSU included one of the wildest stories in the history of the live mascot.

In 1981, someone cut the chain and lock securing Mike’s enclosure.

LSU police later found the tiger in the middle of North Stadium Drive.

Mike wandered into Bernie Moore Track Stadium before LSU veterinarian Dr. Sheldon Bivin was able to sedate him. LSU says it took three tranquilizer shots before Mike could safely be returned to his enclosure.

By 1990, Mike IV had developed a neurological problem that caused mild lameness. He was also aging and slowing down.

The Baton Rouge Zoo offered him a retirement home.

Mike IV moved there in 1990 and lived at the zoo until his health deteriorated. He was humanely euthanized on March 3, 1995.

Mike V Gets a New Home

Mike V was born October 19, 1989. Dr. Thomas and Caroline Atchison of the Animal Zoological Park in Moulton, Alabama, donated him to LSU.

He was introduced to LSU fans during a basketball game against Alabama in February 1990 and moved into his LSU home on April 30.

Mike V’s reign covered an important period in LSU athletic history. He was the live mascot when LSU football won the 2003 national championship and during a period when LSU baseball was building one of the dominant programs in college baseball.

He also became the first Mike to live in LSU’s current tiger habitat.

Construction began in November 2004 while Mike V temporarily lived at the Baton Rouge Zoo. He returned to campus in August 2005.

The new habitat represented an enormous improvement over the old enclosure. LSU lists Mike’s outdoor yard at 14,010 square feet and the total facility, including the night house, at 15,105 square feet. It includes grass, trees, a stream, a waterfall and spaces designed specifically for the tiger’s care.

Mike V died from renal failure on May 18, 2007. He was 17 years old.

Mike VI Becomes One of LSU’s Most Beloved Mascots

Mike VI was born July 23, 2005, and was originally known as Roscoe.

Great Cats of Indiana, a nonprofit sanctuary and rescue organization, donated him to LSU.

He arrived in Baton Rouge on August 25, 2007, at two years old and weighing approximately 320 pounds. LSU introduced him to the community on September 1 and officially declared him Mike VI during a ceremony on September 14.

His first appearance inside Tiger Stadium came on October 6 against Florida.

LSU beat the Gators 28 to 24 in one of the most memorable games of the 2007 national championship season.

Mike VI became enormously popular with LSU fans, but his years as mascot also demonstrated how LSU’s approach to animal care was changing. Mike was not sedated or forced into his trailer for football games. If he did not voluntarily enter, he remained in his habitat.

In May 2016, LSU veterinarians diagnosed Mike VI with spindle cell sarcoma, a malignant cancer near his nose.

He underwent stereotactic radiation treatment on June 1. Despite treatment, the cancer eventually spread.

Mike VI entered hospice care on October 10, 2016. The following day, LSU veterinarians humanely euthanized him in his night house.

He was 11 years old.

Finding Mike VII

After Mike VI died, LSU began searching for another young male tiger.

The university’s approach was very different from the days when students raised money to purchase a tiger.

LSU had not purchased a tiger since Mike III in 1958. The university also made clear that it did not support commercial breeding of tigers.

Instead, LSU looked for a tiger that needed a home.

The search eventually led to a young male tiger at Wild at Heart Wildlife Center in Okeechobee, Florida.

His name was Harvey.

Harvey was born September 13, 2016, and LSU describes him as having both Siberian and Bengal characteristics.

The rescue facility donated him to LSU.

Harvey arrived in Baton Rouge on August 15, 2017. He was 11 months old and weighed 179 pounds.

He spent several days inside the night house while LSU veterinarians observed his health and allowed him to adjust to his new environment.

On August 21, the door opened.

Harvey walked into the outdoor habitat and officially became Mike VII.

Mike VII Today

Mike VII remains LSU’s live mascot in 2026.

He lives in the habitat on North Stadium Drive between the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and Bernie Moore Track Stadium, directly across from Tiger Stadium. There is no admission charge to see him.

The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine oversees his care. His current attending veterinarian is Dr. Rhett Stout, and LSU says two veterinary students provide much of Mike’s daily care. Those students generally work with him for two years before graduating.

Mike currently eats approximately 10 to 15 pounds of food per day. His diet consists primarily of a specially formulated zoo carnivore food containing the nutrients needed by a large cat.

LSU’s current habitat gives him a 14,010 square foot outdoor yard. Including the night house, the facility covers 15,105 square feet.

Mike is usually outside between approximately 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., although LSU makes clear that his schedule can change because of weather, maintenance, veterinary needs or other circumstances.

Why Mike VII Does Not Go Into Tiger Stadium

Mike VII has never been taken into Tiger Stadium for football games.

LSU made that decision before he arrived.

In January 2017, the university announced that changing standards for the responsible care of exotic animals had led LSU to end the tradition of bringing the live tiger into the stadium.

Instead, Mike remains in his habitat on game days.

That allows fans to visit him throughout the day without requiring the tiger to enter a trailer and travel into a stadium filled with more than 100,000 people.

LSU also notes that federal law prohibits sedating Mike for exhibition purposes such as football games.

The change did not end LSU’s live tiger tradition.

It changed the way the tradition is carried out.

The Controversial Return of a Live Tiger in 2024

Although Mike VII has never entered Tiger Stadium, a live tiger did return to the field in 2024.

Before LSU played Alabama on November 9, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry helped arrange for a Bengal tiger named Omar Bradley to be brought from Florida to Baton Rouge. Mike VII remained in his normal campus habitat and was not involved.

Omar Bradley was placed in a specially designed cage that was rolled onto the Tiger Stadium field shortly before kickoff. The stadium lights were lowered and a spotlight illuminated the tiger as part of the pregame presentation.

The decision immediately became controversial. Animal welfare organizations protested the appearance, arguing that the noise, lights and crowd could cause unnecessary stress to the tiger. LSU’s own veterinary program had previously moved away from bringing Mike into the stadium because of concerns about the welfare of the animal.

The appearance marked the first time a live tiger had been displayed inside Tiger Stadium since 2015, when Mike VI was still LSU’s mascot. It did not represent a return of Mike himself to the field. Mike VII remained safely in his habitat across from Tiger Stadium.

Mike and LSU Football History

Mike the Tiger has been connected to some of the greatest moments in LSU football history.

Mike III arrived during LSU’s 1958 national championship season.

Mike V was the mascot when LSU won the 2003 national championship.

Mike VI arrived during the 2007 championship season and made his first Tiger Stadium appearance during LSU’s memorable victory over Florida.

Mike VII was watching from his habitat during the 2019 season, when Joe Burrow and LSU completed a 15 and 0 national championship run.

Different coaches, different players and different generations of fans have come through Baton Rouge.

Mike has remained.

More Than a Mascot

Calling Mike simply a football mascot does not fully explain his place at LSU.

Students visit him between classes. Children grow up visiting his habitat with their parents. Alumni return years later and bring another generation with them. Opposing fans often stop by before entering Tiger Stadium.

The live tiger also gives LSU an opportunity to teach visitors about animal welfare and tiger conservation.

Today’s program bears little resemblance to the one that began in 1936. LSU no longer purchases tigers. Veterinary medicine now plays the central role in Mike’s care. The current tiger does not enter the football stadium, and his welfare takes priority over tradition.

Yet the connection to the beginning remains surprisingly simple.

In 1936, LSU students contributed 25 cents apiece to purchase a tiger named Sheik.

They renamed him Mike in honor of Chellis “Mike” Chambers.

Nearly 90 years later, another tiger named Mike still lives across the street from Tiger Stadium.

Seven numbered Mikes have carried the name.

They have become one of the most recognizable traditions in LSU athletics.

And every one of them traces his name back to the LSU athletic trainer who helped bring the first tiger to Baton Rouge.