The "Why" of the Tiger

Tigers are big, ferocious cats known for speed, strength, and flexibility, so it is no wonder it is the second most common mascot in college sports.  Forty-six 4-year universities use the Tiger as their symbol.  Clemson, The University of Missouri, and Princeton are just a few of the other schools that call themselves "Tigers."  The University of Memphis has a live tiger (Tom) as their mascot, much like LSU (although, they've only had a live Tiger since 1972....Mike has been at LSU since 1936....more on that later).  There's even another SEC school that call themselves the Tigers...Auburn.   But seeing how they can't decide on a single mascot, I consider them only 1/3 Tiger, no matter how cute Aubie might be.  (Yeah, yeah....War Eagle is the battle cry.  Whatever.  They have an eagle that flies around the stadium.  Sounds like a mascot to me.  And what is a Plainsman, anyway? ).  But, I digress.....



Most teams chose their mascots based on legend or lore local to the community. Even the strangest mascots make perfect sense when you understand the context (i.e. the University of Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils).  But there are no Tigers roaming around LSU, Clemson, or Missouri.  So what is the reason LSU chose the Tiger to represent their school?


According to Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr., PhD. and the "Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units, 1861-1865" (LSU Press, 1989), the name Louisiana Tigers evolved from a volunteer company nicknamed the Tiger Rifles, which was organized in New Orleans. This company became a part of a battalion commanded by Major Chatham Roberdeau Wheat and was the only company of that battalion to wear the colorful Zouave uniform. In time, Wheat's entire battalion was called the Tigers. 

That nickname in time was applied to all of the Louisiana troops of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The tiger symbol came from the famous Washington Artillery of New Orleans. A militia unit that traces its history back to the 1830s, the Washington Artillery had a logo that featured a snarling tiger's head. These two units first gained fame at the Battle of First Manassas on July 21, 1861. Major David French Boyd, first president of LSU after the war, had fought with the Louisiana troops in Virginia and knew the reputation of both the Tiger Rifles and Washington Artillery.

Thus when LSU football teams entered the gridiron battlefields in their fourth year of intercollegiate competition, they tagged themselves as the 'Tigers'.

So there you have it.....the reason why LSU is known as the Tigers.  It's not due to unoriginality, or that they randomly picked the Tiger just because it is a really awesome animal (although, that IS a bonus).  It's to honor some of our state's Civil War Heroes.


And of the 46 schools that call themselves Tigers, Mike is clearly the best in the streak (a group of Tigers is called a "streak".... you learn something new everyday.) 


Please remember to vote for your favorite Tiger at the Capital One Mascot Challenge or by texting "Mike" to 69866.


GEAUX TIGERS!!!!


(Cheese alert!!!!)  


Now that you know the "Why" of the Tiger, I thought I'd add in some Eye of the Tiger.  Hey, I warned you....cheesy :-)

COLLEGE (MASCOT) GAMEDAY

WOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!   I am proud to announce that Mike won this week's challenge against the Bearcat from Cincinnati!!!!  And not only did he win, but he blew his previous high score of 13,771 votes out of the water with over 25,000 votes!!!  Great job, Tiger Fans!!!  Is it coincidence that Mike won for the first time the week that I was appointed as his blogger representative?  Maybe.  Am I going to take (partial) credit?  ABSO-FREAKIN'-LUTELY!!!!!  Thanks again for voting!!!

This coming week is a big week for Mike.  He is up against Smokey, the Bluetick Coonhound from Tennessee (what that has to do with a Volunteer, I have no idea...).  The LSU football team is also hosting the University of Tennessee on Saturday afternoon in Death Valley.  Both teams are from the SEC.  The absolute madness and excitement of this matchup has caused Capital One to designate it as the matchup of the week.  In the mascot challenge world, this is the equivalent of being chosen as the location for ESPN's College Gameday.  Herbstreit and Corso may as well set up a stage and cover the event.  And based on the previous weeks' results, I'm pretty sure Corso would be donning a dog head.  Last week, Smokey tallied up over 34,500 votes, and his best score to date is 45,428 against that Duck from Oregon.  Every week so far, he has beat Mike's best score.  But here's the thing....we Tiger fans love nothing more than to prove Corso wrong (except maybe winning football games, good Cajun food, tailgating, Mike the Tiger.....).

Please visit Capital One Mascot Challenge or text "Mike" to 69866.  Vote early, and vote often!!!!

GEAUX MIKE!!!!!!

Mike the Tiger - The Pride of LSU

There are several things that any devoted LSU fan will tell you that she holds close to her heart.  The Indian Mounds, The Golden Band from Tigerland, The Bell Tower, Victory Hill, Death Valley, and the first 4 notes of Pre-Game are just a few of the things that bring tears of joy to my eyes.  But to almost any LSU fan, the one thing we consider most sacred is Mike the Tiger.  Sure we love the cuddly Mike that stands upright and wears a jersey on the sidelines alongside the LSU cheerleaders, but we cherish the live Mike that lives on campus.


In the coming weeks, I'll be posting more interesting facts and history about Mike....so stay tuned.  In the meantime, you can keep an eye on Mike via the Tigercam!!!  


And don't forget to keep voting for THE BEST mascot in all of college sports by visiting Capital One Mascot Challenge or by texting "Mike" to 69866.


GEAUX MIKE and GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!

Capital One Mascot Challenge

I'm so excited!!!!! I won a contest (well, it's more like a contest within a contest)!!!! I've never won anything in my life.....especially something so cool!! I was chosen out of THOUSANDS of applicants (OK....I'll be honest. I'm pretty sure I was one of maybe two applicants, but who cares, I won nonetheless!!! ;-) to represent Mike the Tiger as he competes for the Capital One Bowl Mascot Challenge. Each week for 12 weeks, mascots from 16 universities face off against each other to see who is king of the mascot jungle. My job in all of this is to help get the word out (through facebook, twitter, and blogs) for all the fans to vote for my mascot. There is NO DOUBT in my mind that Mike is by far THE BEST mascot out of any university....not to mention the 16 selected. Anyway, at the Capital One Bowl on January 1, 2011, the winner will be announced. If Mike the Tiger wins, I will win a trip to Orlandeaux and the Capital One Bowl (never mind that I live here....I'd llike to think that the voting committee didn't take that into account when they chose me ;-) to cover the event!!!

How does Mike the Tiger win?? We vote. Click here to vote for Mike. You can vote as often as you like....the more often, the better!!!!! He's losing pretty badly right now, but if we get together, tell all our friends, and VOTE, I am confident we can put him back on top.....where he belongs. Seriously, what other school has a better mascot??? NOBODY!!!

How did I win this little contest within a contest, you ask?? I wrote the following "essay". I'm not claiming that its Pulitzer Prize worthy, but obviously someone liked it, because I was chosen!! (As I said before....I'm betting there weren't too many other entries):


The top 11 reasons I should be chosen to rally support for Mike the Tiger in the Capital One Mascot Challenge (I could have gone with 10 reasons, but that's been done before...Letterman, God, etc.):

11) I meet the minimum requirements - I'm a girl, I like college football, I can form complete sentences.

10) I exceed the minimum requirements - I am a very funny, smart (and somewhat cute) girl; I live for college football (especially LSU); I consider my ability to create witty facebook statuses an artform.

9) I was a student at LSU from 1992 until my graduation in 1998. Yes, it took me 6 years to get that degree. In my defense, I had access to awesome football tickets as a student...why would I rush to get out???

8) I think Mike the Tiger is hands down THE BEST mascot in all of college sports.

7) I have already started campaigning for Mike! In fact, all but 2 of the votes he has received thus far can be traced back to me in 6 degrees or less....I am the 'Kevin Bacon' of the mascot challenge.

6) I have gotten complements, both on facebook and in person, about how witty some of my facebook statuses are. You won't see humdrum requests for votes from me.

5) I have never played football, but my years participating in team athletics gave me a very good understanding of sports. Except NASCAR. I still don't understand why so many people gather to watch cars go around in a circle all afternoon. But, who am I to judge?

4) When all the other mommies had their children costumed as princesses and pirates for Halloween the week before Nick Saban's first trip back to Tiger Stadium as Alabama's head coach, my 2 young children dressed as Mike the Tiger and Big Al, the Alabama mascot who wishes he could cheer for LSU. My 3 year old daughter dressed as an elephant with a t-shirt that read, "I'd rather be for LSU" on the front, and "I want to be like Mike" on the back.


3) I have a proven track record for getting people to take action based on my facebook statuses. Last fall, I raised a whole lot of money for Leukemia research by being vocal on facebook about my fundraising efforts and running a marathon. If I can talk people into parting with their money in this economy, just think what I could do if all they have to do is visit a website and click a button.

2) I lived in Baton Rouge for 18 years. In March, a great job opportunity took me to Orlando, Florida. While I was an avid LSU fan while residing in BR, my enthusiasm has only intensified since moving....absence truly does make the heart grow fonder. I work with a few Florida Gators (shout out, Susan and Sheila!!), and defend Mike and LSU just about every day. My office is plastered with LSU memorabilia, and I make no apologies for that....even in enemy territory.

1) Did you catch that I live in Orlando? WHEN Mike wins (largely due to my campaigning), you're off the hook for airfare during the expensive holiday travel season. Instead, extra tickets to the game will suffice ;-)


Please visit Capital One Mascot Challenge to cast your vote for Mike!

GEAUX MIKE!!!!

Picking up NOT where I left off.....

So, I started this blog a few years ago. It didn't stick. Which is strange because I have (among others) two obsessions....Facebook and Scrapbooking. Seems to me this is where my two obsessions meet. Seems to me I should have embraced this blog world whole-heartedly a long time ago. But alas, I'm busy. I've got two school-aged kids who are busy with homework and extracurriculars. Not to mention, since my last post, alot has changed!! A fabulous new job caused me to pick up my family and move them from our beloved home of Baton Rouge, Louisiana to the thriving tourist metropolis of Orlando, Florida. We have finally settled in to Florida, and are loving the beaches, the theme parks, and all the other reasons that people flock to this area....

I'd love to say that I'm going to go back and write about all the things that have been going on in our lives over the last few years and get this blog completely caught up over the next few weeks.  I'm not.  It'll happen....just not tomorrow.

So, long story short.....I'm back. Better for you to Keep Up with the Joneses.