Fansided

Ranking the top 10 coolest college football mascots

By Phil Poling

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - SEPTEMBER 22: Miami Hurricanes mascot Sebastian the Ibis cheers on the field during the college football game between the Florida International University Panthers and the University of Miami Hurricanes on September 22, 2018 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. (Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL - SEPTEMBER 22: Miami Hurricanes mascot Sebastian the Ibis cheers on the field during the college football game between the Florida International University Panthers and the University of Miami Hurricanes on September 22, 2018 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. (Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 06: LSU mascot Mike VI, a Bengal/Siberian mixed tiger, is displayed on the field before the Florida Gators take on the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 6, 2007 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 06: LSU mascot Mike VI, a Bengal/Siberian mixed tiger, is displayed on the field before the Florida Gators take on the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 6, 2007 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images) /

Louisiana State University. Baton Rouge. Mike the Tiger . 817. Scouting Report. 6. player. Pick Analysis

While a person in a duck costume and someone riding a majestic white horse is cool, they don’t quite compare to a real-life Bengal tiger patrolling the sidelines at football games like in Death Valley. And that’s what LSU’s Mike the Tiger does, although he isn’t free to roam, obviously.

LSU first bought a live tiger in 1934, collecting 25 cents from 3,000 or so students to purchase a cub from the Little Rock Zoo. Since then, they’ve used a tiger as their mascot. The current tiger, Mike VII, has both Siberian and Bengal characteristics.

No iteration of Mike the Tiger has been housed in dormitories like most mascots, though. Instead, a $3.7 million, the 15,000-square-foot environment was constructed in 2005 that included, “lush planting, a live oak tree, a waterfall and a stream evolving from a rocky backdrop overflowing with plants and trees.” One thing for sure: Mike is always taken care of in Baton Rouge.