Mike the Tiger Mike the Tiger is the official mascot of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge 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 is 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 ) . History of Mike the Tiger . Mike I ( 1936 – 1956 ) . 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 . 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 , abandoned , 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 . Mike II ( 1956 – 1958 ) . A few days after Mike I ' s death , a resolution endorsing the purchase of another tiger was introduced in the Louisiana legislature and a fund was set up by LSU students to underwrite the cost . Mike II had a short but somewhat mysterious life . He was born on February 28 , 1956 at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and was chosen because his paws were larger than those of the other cubs . He was unveiled on September 29 , 1956 , during the opening game of the new football season . Legend has it that less than a month after his arrival at LSU , Mike II died of pneumonia , at only eight months of age , during a six - game losing streak and that a second Mike II was secretly brought in as a ringer . To explain Mike ' s absence , and after much rumor , the LSU student newspaper , The Daily Reveille , printed a statement that the young tiger needed time alone to adjust to his new home and position as mascot , with its attendant excitement . All rumors of Mike II ' s death and replacement were denied . The official story is that Mike II reigned for only one football season before his death on May 15 , 1958 in Audubon Zoo of complications associated with multiple fractures to his left rear leg . Mike III ( 1958 – 1976 ) . Mike III was born on November 26 , 1957 and arrived from the Seattle Zoo just in time for LSU ' s 1958 National Championship football season . During Mike III ' s 18 - year reign , LSU also won three Southeastern Conference football championships ( 1958 , 1961 , 1970 ) and eight of 13 bowl games . Mike III died of pneumonia in 1976 after the only losing LSU football season of his lifetime . The mascot ' s death affected the students and faculty so greatly that the vet at the time , W . Sheldon Bivin , said he would never allow another tiger to die on campus . Mike IV ( 1976 – 1990 ) . Mike IV , originally called Jerry , was born at Busch Gardens in Tampa , Florida in 1974 . He was donated by August A . Busch III and was two years old when he came to LSU in August 1976 . One memorable incident involving Mike IV began in the early - morning hours of November 28 , 1981 when pranksters cut the locks on Mike ' s cage . The tiger roamed freely for hours , attacked a small tree , and appeared to be enjoying himself before becoming trapped in the Track Stadium near his cage . Three tranquilizer shots later , the wandering mascot was returned to his home without further incident and awoke without ill effects . Mike IV reigned for 14 years and retired in 1990 to the Baton Rouge Zoo where he lived until his death in 1995 at the age of 21 , the oldest of the tigers serving as LSU ' s mascot . Mike V ( 1990 – 2007 ) . Mike V was considered to have the best personality of all the tigers that have served as LSU ' s symbol . Originally named Stevie , he was donated by Dr . Thomas and Caroline Atchison of the Animal House Zoological Park in Moulton , Alabama . Born on October 19 , 1989 , the 7 - pound baby tiger was introduced to LSU fans at a basketball game in February 1990 . In his 17 - year reign , Mike V saw an LSU football team win another National Championship ( in 2003 ) and received both a new trailer and a massive renovation of his enclosure . In March 2007 , Mike V officially began a three - stage retirement . His personal vet , David Baker , cited his age and health as reasons . Mike V retained his mascot status and lived in his on - campus habitat until his death . Mike the Tiger died on May 18 , 2007 at 2 : 23 AM , which coincided with the undergraduate commencement ceremonies . The cause of death was renal failure . Mike VI ( 2007 – present ) . After Mike V ' s death PETA contacted the university and urged them not to replace him with a new tiger . However , LSU chancellor Sean O ' Keefe rejected PETA ' s request by stating that LSU would acquire a new tiger . O ' Keefe further defended LSU ' s decision by noting that four of the previous five ' Mikes ' lived to be at least 17 years , nearly twice the normal 8 - 10 year lifespan of tigers in the wild . O ' Keefe further explained 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 . 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 . " 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 . On September 8 , 2007 , LSU staff acknowledged that " He ’ s Mike VI " in a press release . A ceremony dedicating the tiger as officially " Mike VI " took place on September 14 , 2007 , Mike VI was to make his Death Valley debut at the September 22 game against the University of South Carolina . , 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 . Mike VI is a 7 - year old Siberian - Bengal mix male currently weighing over 450 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 . " Estimates by LSU Veterinary staff are that Mike VI may top out at or more , making him LSU ' s largest tiger mascot ever . 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 . Mike VI is frequently visited by Darrell Bezet , who is known as " Darrell , Tiger Whisperer . " Brought to local stardom through YouTube and word - of - mouth , Bezet is often at Mike VI ' s habitat talking and playing with him . Observers say that Mike VI instantly recognizes Bezet ' s white Lincoln Towncar and his distinct walk , steadied by his black cane , as soon as he arrives at the habitat . After watching Bezet for several seconds , Mike will ease into a pouncing stance , inching closer to him . Then without hesitation , he ' ll sprint and launch himself towards Bezet , pawing and jumping at the net that separates the two . At which point , a giggling and pawing back Bezet will respond : Upon drawing crowds to watch Mike VI interact with Bezet , an onlooker has recalled : Mike the Tiger 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 ( situated between Tiger Stadium and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center ) 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 . 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 . 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 : Costumed Mike . LSU has a costumed mascot ( also named Mike ) . Costumed Mike appears at most LSU sporting events ( including away games , as Mike the Tiger does not travel ) and also appears at several LSU - related functions . In August 2007 , Costumed Mike was featured on a This Is SportsCenter Commercial with LSU alum Shaquille O ' Neal . See also . LSU Tigers < br > Tiger Athletic Foundation