Hundreds of students and fans gathered Friday afternoon to witness Roscoe’s official crowning as Mike VI.
The event, a joint effort between Student Government and the University’s Office of Public Affairs, offered free concessions to attendees and featured a half-hour-long presentation by University leaders.
Chancellor Sean O’Keefe spoke before the crowd in front of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Standing on a small raised platform behind a podium, he said there were two major reasons for the ceremony.
“The first is to remember the great legacy of Mike V,” O’Keefe said. “The second is to welcome Mike VI.”
The speakers followed a brief performance by University cheerleaders, who were later joined by the human mascot. The costumed Mike appeared and posed for pictures with children, many of whom were clad in purple and gold.
Dr. David Baker, Mike’s attending veterinarian, reflected on what the tiger means to the University community.
“I’ve concluded Mike the Tiger represents and conjures in the minds of many all that is good at LSU,” he said.
David Helman, mass communication freshman, attended with his friends to see the new tiger. He avoided the line for Domino’s pizza, which stretched 50 people deep from the booth to the street because it “looked a little too long.”
Helman said he enjoyed the event but thought the speakers did not have a lot to say.
“There’s only so much you can do to name a 300-pound tiger,” he said.
Those involved in the ceremony’s planning were pleased with the turnout, a large crowd ranging from students and alumni to parents and children. SG Director of Communications Will Harris said he was impressed with the crowd.
Once the presentation concluded, many drifted to the tiger’s habitat to view the newly crowned mascot as he prowled about his cage. The captivated crowd watching Mike VI stretch his back on the husk of a fallen tree confirmed the words of the tiger’s veterinarian.
“This animal does not belong to me,” Baker said at the ceremony. “He belongs to all of us.”
—-Contact Daniel McBride at [email protected]