R.I.P.: MIKE V, LSU MASCOT.
Mike V, who was really, really old by Tiger standards, died sometime during the night at his habitat at LSU. Mike was seventeen, and hopefully is now shredding muntjac and wild boar on the hunting fields of the afterlife.
Considering the $25 million LSU shelled out for the mascot’s habitat, they’re undoubtedly looking for a new Mike as we speak. Animal rights activists be damned–having a live tiger on campus is just badassness no matter how you cast it, and no one’s gone more out of their way than LSU, which has constructed what amounts to a mini-zoo for their pampered mascot.
There’s a Roy Horn joke somewhere in here, but we just can’t find it. RIP, Mike.
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1
One And Done says:
Also, I forgot to say the animal activists need to relax & go do something actually worthwhile like protest a slaughterhouse b/c mascot’s such as Mike V receive royal treatment. These animals are not tortured. These aren’t some Barnum & Bailey show animals starved into “meanness” for the gladiatorial combat pay-per-view event.
Mike V receives better treatment & health care plans than most of the businesses in America give to their employees. Even the precious little activist groups with their hopes & fuzzy toasty dreams for helping their fellow man don’t give out benefits as good as Mike V got.
Mike V, you da man
May 18th, 2007 at 10:10 am
2
rocket screen says:
Greatest live animal mascot ever.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:24 am
3
Hook'em Tide says:
I mean, I know it’d be imposssible, but how badass would it be if Alabama brought out a FUCKING ELEPHANT before a game….just once!! How jacked up would we all be?
SIde Note: bad idea. Reason that Hannibal and many Indian/African armies used elephants in war is becasue they are devastatingly effective against crowds of people.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:24 am
4
Orangeblood says:
Unless the crowd of people is SPARTA!
May 18th, 2007 at 10:26 am
5
rocket screen says:
A live elephant would be awesome – so would Florida bringing back LIVE gators. Nothing like vicious flesh-devouring reptiles to jack up the crowd.
On the other hand, Maryland should bring out a live turtle – it suits them.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:29 am
6
nixforsix says:
Have you actually seen an elephant at the zoo? I don’t exactly remember being in awe of anything other than the size of it’s turds.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:39 am
7
Wooderson says:
Orangeblood, get it right:
It’s “SHHHHHPARTA”
May 18th, 2007 at 10:42 am
8
Out of Conference says:
I’m beginning to get a shimmer of an idea of a new halftime show for games- damn, we need to firm this up. Someone get Mike Vick on the horn.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:48 am
9
Southern Papa says:
Mike V crapped bigger than an elephant.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:57 am
10
LSUJoshua says:
Thanks Orson.
Mike V was a great guy. I got to know him in undergrad when I used to walk across campus to his cage to play around with him. There was this big rock cave deal up against the fence of the old cage. I would toss my keys one way, wait a bit, and then creep the other way. If I creeped quietly enough, I would see Mike over where I threw my keys looking and sniffing around. Once, I threw the keys, creeped the other way and…. no tiger. I stood up, looked all around. Mike was sitting up on the rocks, quieter than Gator fans circa 1979, looking down at me. He had this disdainful look that just said “noob, you suck”.
I got to participate in both of his root canals. We would pick him up at the cage, get him in the trailer, get some ketamine in him to knock him down, and away we went to the Vet School. As soon as we turned the corner at the back of the vet school, the breeze coming from the fields (full of horses and cows) behind the schools hit us. Mike went from comatose to bolt upright, scanning for lunch.
Ride arounds before games were great. Opposing players would talk trash. Mike just sat there like he was $240 worth of pudding and he knew it. Smokey used to bark his ass off. Mike didn’t seem to notice. The invitation was always the same, “you’re welcome to get in the cage with him and carry on with your smack if you’re so inclined”. Never any takers, just one gangster ass tiger.
He also backed up to the fence one time and tried to spray my Mom. Never knew Mom had more agility than your average left tackle doing the cone drill at the combine. He also watched toddlers and kids with an eye towards snacks and not towards Chris Matthews telling him to”have a seat over there”. He would’ve eaten that dude, the camera guy and the fake underage girl. Because, while a beautiful but deadly pinacle of God’s creation and possessing a gentle nature, that’s how Mike would roll. You see, Mike eats meat. And you’re made of meat. So put two and two together and realize that 6 pounds of tasty grey meat in your gourd in the only thing keeping us from saying “aw, cute mascot” and saying “OMIGODDRUNITSONEOFTHOSE ORANGEANDBLACKKILLINGMACHINES!!!!!”
Rest in peace Mike V. I’ll miss you buddy. Drinks are in your memory tonight.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:58 am
11
Halleck T. says:
Wild boar? I imagined Mike V’s heaven looked more like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbQxTSpHLec
May 18th, 2007 at 10:58 am
12
Katy says:
If only Bama played S. Car. this year, we could have an elephant/chicken battle of epic proportions.
May 18th, 2007 at 11:00 am
13
domerva says:
Firt Barbaro, now Mike. They always come in three’s. Bevo Beware.
May 18th, 2007 at 11:00 am
14
Southern Papa says:
LSUJoshua,
you missed the real fun times living in the stadium dorms, when Mike IV would wake us up with his growls in the morning. That was scary.
Then there was another time someone set him free to roam the campus….
May 18th, 2007 at 11:02 am
15
BDoc says:
Someone should inform those animal rights activists that show-business is so much nicery than the savagery of the jungle, ja.
May 18th, 2007 at 11:04 am
16
Murphy says:
My kids will be sad to know that Mike V passed. When Bevo died last year, they just wanted to know where the barbeque was.
May 18th, 2007 at 11:11 am
17
LSUJoshua says:
Southern Papa, Dr. Bivin related that story to me one time. I don’t know if you could’ve persuaded me to venture around campus in the dark with a tranq pistol whilst a 500 lb perfection of night vision, stealth, big teeth and carniverosity roamed the area.
He said the LSU rent a cops would only roll down their window half an inch to talk to him when he got and there and after he got Mike IV down.
He said the first shot got Mike angry. The second shot put him down but not after Mike had figured out where he was and was coming at him. Mike came to rest only about 10 yards from him.
So the cops drive up and ask is it safe? Dr. Bivin asks the genius if he would be standing there if it wasn’t.
Toughest part wasn’t getting 500 pounds of limp, sleepy Tiger into the back of the truck and back in the cage. It was holding the glass steady when he poured himself a drink when he got home afterwards.
May 18th, 2007 at 11:11 am
18
Willet says:
1. Mike
2. Cu’s Buffalo
3. AU Eagle
106. UCSC Banana Slug
May 18th, 2007 at 11:13 am
19
Anonymous IV says:
I just informed my supervisor who is an LSU alumnus. He told me when at one point they were having a fund raiser to buy Mike a better habitat and someone said that they could buy Mike a four bedroom house in a very exclusive part of town for less money than was required for his new habitat.
We need more live mascots. Michigan needs to bring out a live wolverine again, Cal and UCLA a grizzly bear since the California grizzly bear is extinct, and Florida needs to bring out a live gator.
The only university that could compete with LSU would be WSU with a life cougar.
May 18th, 2007 at 11:13 am
20
Anonymous IV says:
“The only university that could compete with LSU would be WSU with a life cougar.”
Sorry I meant live cougar for WSU. Back to cataloging and listening to NPR.
May 18th, 2007 at 11:16 am
21
Brian says:
Back in the day, when GT beat Cal in the Rose Bowl thanks to “Roy ‘Wrongway’ Regals” they gave us a sweet bear. It would roam campus and drink cokes. In fact, the school president remarked: “He is as smart as most Tech students with all the bad habits of modern youth.” Sadly, the good times ended when “After several years and much complaining from Home Park neighbors about the bear getting into their garbage cans, the bear was reportedly sold to a visiting circus, never to be heard from again.”
http://gtalumni.org/Publications/techtraditions/legends/stumpy.html
Yes Live animals on college campuses = bad Ayuss
May 18th, 2007 at 11:29 am
22
ck says:
I was just down in Baton Rouge for my sisters engagement party. It was slightly overcast so I took my girlfriend (from MD, had never been down to Louisiana) to see Mike. He put on a show. Lazed about in the grass, stretching and yawning. She snapped some amazing photos I have been meaning to frame. They now are even more special to me.
R.I.P. Big Mike.
-CK
May 18th, 2007 at 11:40 am
23
Herb says:
#19, don’t forget that, as the Wolfpack, NC State should properly have several live wolves. Who could then attack Mike VI from different directions.
May 18th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
24
One And Done says:
Seriously, this bums me out… one of the highlights of gameday on LSU’s campus is the visit to Mike the Tiger “cage.”
And Mike V was one of the better Mike’s, although i’m partial b/c he’s my Mike. I forgot which game it was but one year when we played someone, might’ve been Georgia or Florida, Mike unprovoked got all honery & growled at the opposing team when they came out of the tunnel. He didn’t need to be prodded or poked like the animalistas claimed (the poking & prodding of Mike has been don’t in decades, but the Lefties won’t tell you that!).
Mike knew why he was at LSU. Mike knew his role… and he was good at, kids!
Bonsoir, Mike V, merci pour les bon temps!
May 18th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
25
Mätt says:
Everybody obviously thinks it’d be fantabulous if Florida had a live gator at games…just imagine Mr. Two Bits running out on the field pre-game, getting dragged by an alligator on a leash. And while LSU having Mike live on campus is great and all, you forget that he was, in fact, caged. Florida has numerous live, wild alligators roaming around on campus with nothing to physically stop them from walking in to the student union to grab a bite to eat.
I lived in Hume while I was in school and rode my bike every day past the Graham/Simpson Pond on the way to class. There was always a gator sitting in the middle of the pond sunning himself, never moving. One day toward the end of the year, I’m coming back from class and notice the gator isn’t in the middle of the pond. Then I see this splash — the gator had caught some kind of animal. So he’s thrashing his head back and forth, shaking the shit out of this animal corpse. He drags it into the water, does some deathrolls and thrashes some more.
Something must’ve been up his ass that day, because before he ate it, he started crawling out of the pond onto the lawn toward North/South Drive. I’m thinking he’s going to go after some Asian phsyics major or something. He scares the hell out of some girls, then turns around, goes back into the pond, and just sits there with the dead animal in his mouth. Not eating it, just savoring the juices.
The scary thing is, Florida’s got hundreds of those gators free on campus, just waiting to sprout opposable thumbs and begin their revolution.
Gators > Tigers
May 18th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
26
BDoc says:
Matt, that gator in the Graham Pond only had one eye when I was there. I like to think that that was even more of a testament of his badassness.
May 18th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
27
tOSU_radar says:
Wow, can you imagine getting pelted with live Buckeyes? That’ll leave a mark. Or better yet, fighting a drunken leprechaun?? Oh wait, that’s just St. Patty’s Day…
May 18th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
28
Orangeblood says:
Would you say the UF campus has a plethora of gators?
May 18th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
29
Mosby says:
WVU has tons of live mascots running around.
May 18th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
30
AP says:
@25
Negative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM1oaGp8Qho
May 18th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
31
lawtool says:
#25 – that wasn’t some kind of animal, it was terry dean.
May 18th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
32
Brian says:
fuck it wont let me post my list of live mascots for some odd reason
May 18th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
33
Brian says:
Auburn – Eagle
LSU – Tiger
Arkansas – Razorback
Tenn – blue tick hound
SMU – pony
Colorado – Buffalo
UT – Bull/Bevo
WSU – Cougar (they should make up sweet suggestive shirts for old hot alumni btw)
May 18th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
34
Brian says:
UNC – goat
Army – do they have a donkey?
Navy – Ram
Clemson – Pet rock
FL State – Apaloosa Horse / Pet Indian
May 18th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
35
Brian says:
UGA/Ms State/Yale/various – bulldog
ND – fiesty leprechaun
WVU – Mountain man
TAMU – Collie
Texas Tech – some horse
May 18th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
36
Brian says:
hmm ok people I guess it wanted it in sections…let me know which schools I missed.
May 18th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
37
Orangeblood says:
Which school has the Hypno Toad? All glory to the Hypno Toad!
May 18th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
38
Aerobab says:
Re: #30 That tiger made the crock his bitch! Awesome.
May 18th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
39
Beergut says:
Actually, Michigan had a live woverine mascot at one time. They stopped after they realized that wolverines not only wanted to go after the opposing team and their fans, but their own handlers and the Michigan fanbase as well.
May 18th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
40
Jonathan says:
Sorry, according to Time Magazine, #1 mascot is Uga, and always will be, other than that RIP Mike.
May 18th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
41
LSUJoshua says:
Yep, that’s a negative on #25. Damn, never seen that video before and my awe of predators like tigers (in the same class as bears and sharks) just went up a whole order of magnitude.
40, I don’t know what’s more pathetic:
a. You are using Time magazine as a cite.
b. You actually think a dog is cooler than a tiger.
c. How predictable it was for a UGA fan to show up and foist their ignorance on us.
Just because Mike is gone doesn’t mean that’s more oxygen for you to waste.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
42
Willet says:
Time=pinko rag
May 18th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
43
BDoc says:
The narrator in the video tells us that it’s a croc, and we all know that Florida’s mascot is an alligator. Well, except for the production company that helped with the ‘03 media guide.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
44
Orson Swindle says:
TCU should switch to Hypnotoad. He’s be damn compelling, just staring out at the crowd and demanding you pay attention.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
45
oc phil says:
#4 or unless the crowd is hobbits and elves (and dead guys). But shouldn’t Alabama be bringing a barrel of harmful phytoplankton?
#30 Actually tiger vs crocodile would depend on home field advantage. As yer video proves tiger could win on land, but if the tiger goes down to the river for a drink and the croc pulls him in, the battle goes the other way.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
46
jeneria says:
I’m an English prof at LSU and I used to offer my Freshman classes A’s for everyone if they’d let Mike loose. Horribly irresponsible, I know. The funny thing is that they never would because Tiger pride runs deeper than GPA!
I loved that animal! And it was nice when they finished the new habitat and we didn’t any longer have to watch him walk in endless circles in some sort of zoo dementia.
I did my undergrad at the University of Montana and when I first came to LSU my students couldn’t believe that we didn’t keep a live grizzly on campus. Still cracks me up.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
47
Snowedin'Bama says:
Bit of a rumor a short while back was that some alums, boosters, people with too much time got an actual elephant for ‘Bama and want to bring her to opening day. Imagine yourself the undergrad responsible for picking up after an 8000 pound female elephant in front of 92,000 drunken Tiders.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
48
Herb says:
#35, you had one slight error. The retro wishbone video from early this week taught us:
Texas Tech – Zorro
May 18th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
49
Party Patrol says:
If a discussion of mascots is breaking out, let us not forget the Campbell (N.C) Fightin’ Camels, whom my roommate just took the NCAA 2K7 Men’s Basketball Champoinship (over of all teams, the Mighty Gators). Fear not, my UNF Ospreys are on their way to glory….
May 18th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
50
Anonymous IV says:
“#19, don’t forget that, as the Wolfpack, NC State should properly have several live wolves. Who could then attack Mike VI from different directions.”
Sorry I forgot about NC, but also Nevada and New Mexico could have wolves prowling the sidelines.
Here is my list of badass mascots:
WSU=cougar
CAL=grizzly bear
UCLA=grizzly bear
Nevada=wolf pack
NC=wolfpack
BYU=cougar
New Mexico=lobos(wolves)
Houston=cougar
Michigan=wolverine
Wisconsin=badger
Missouri=tiger
Auburn=tiger
LSU=tiger
Pittsburgh=panther
Marshall=thundering herd
Colorado=buffalo
Texas=longhorn
Penn State=lion
Florida=gator
Arkansas=razorback
Mascots I would not like to see or be anywhere near to:
Miami=hurricane
Iowa State=cyclone
Tulsa=golden hurricane
Mascots that I will not include as baddass:
Anybody with wildcats as their mascot. Sorry Kentucky, Northwestern, and Arizona.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
51
Alex F. says:
BC used to have a live eagle mascot, Margo (maroon/gold) until the 60s. I’m officially starting the campaign to bring it back.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
52
LSUJoshua says:
Is a golden hurricane where some how R Kelly and a tropical storm combine to form a weather phenomena of never before seen level of destruction and urination?
May 18th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
53
Citiesaregreat says:
anon 4
It’s obvious to me that you’ve never had a wildcat after your ass. Consider yourself lucky.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
54
MCab says:
I loved big Mike. Screw Shark Week, I’ve always had a thing for my big cats. See you on the flip, M5.
May 19th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
55
MCab says:
ON a note, my brother used to be the handler for the golden eagle at Southern Miss, until some oxygen thief capped it with a bb gun. (my father used to be a falconer)
May 19th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
56
Anonymous IV says:
That sucks that someone did that to the Southern Miss. eagle. it reminds me of the minor league baseball player from South Korea who threw a baseball at an osprey that would nest in the ballpark.
May 20th, 2007 at 11:49 am
57
Horn says:
Baylor has two live bears on campus. They are female black bears and they walk them a couple times a week.
May 20th, 2007 at 11:56 am
58
mcdinho says:
I recall an LSU vs Auburn (i think) game in/or around 1998, whereby Auburn brought a live Eagle that circled Death Valley. It was truly amazing to see such a majestic animal.
If anyone doesn’t understand what Mike meant to college football, just ask the fans of any team that visited LSU’s campus.
I’m glad to see all the positive comments regarding Mike from all the different fans of this wonderful but polarizing sport. Here’s to Mike and all the other great mascots of college football. The game just aint the same without ya!
May 23rd, 2007 at 1:43 pm
59
Brian says:
Bowling Green’s got 2 live mascots….gonorrhea and chlamydia
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:04 pm