You may think of Mike the Tiger as an adorable four-legged furball who sleeps, swims, and plays all day long, but he happens to have a two-legged clone that roams campus. In the 1950s, LSU introduced its costumed version of Mike the Tiger for the very first time.

Unlike the live tiger, Mike attends many events, both on and off the university’s campus. Anyone has the opportunity to request for Mike to appear at their chosen event, including company lunches, alumni events, and so much more. He also attends every sporting event on campus and is known for his intricate dance moves in Tiger Stadium.

Nevertheless, there would be no Mike without his team of six collegiate undergraduates, commonly referred to as Team Mike. The team members include Andrew Baughman, Christian Rodriquez, Noah Ellender, Lawson Boudreaux, Matthew Burnmaster, and their captain, Landon Terro.

As the captain of the Team, Terro has the responsibility of creating the elaborate schedules for each of his fellow team members. These schedules are heavily detailed, stating what each person must wear, where and when they must be, and where Mike needs to be for any given event.

“I see my role as kind of just being a mentor and leader to all these guys,” Terro said. “College is a very weird thing, so to have someone who can not only help you from an extracurricular thing that we do, but also from an academic and personal standpoint, that’s what I see my role as.”

While Terro manages to be the leader of the group while working toward a major and two minors, he remains humble about his role.

“The center and the face of Team Mike is Mike,” Terro said.

Additionally, Terro would not be able to assist Mike without his five teammates, who, in addition to Terro, act as the feline’s bodyguards, guide him from place to place, determine the behaviors that Mike should indulge in, create social media content, and act as his toolbox.

While these duties may seem small, anyone interested in joining Team Mike must attend the two to three-day tryouts to be considered for the team. During the tryouts, the current team and coaches seek individuals who are responsible and professional enough for the Mike brand.

Although the costumized version cannot walk around on four paws, he is continuously getting requests for appearances. In an average week, the furball receives at least 10 to 20 requests for various events. This results in Terro and his team having to be strategic about their time management and schedules, ensuring that Mike arrives safely for every appearance.

“Under my leadership, unless there’s absolutely no way that we can’t make it happen, we always say, ‘yes,’” Terro said.

While this may result in a busy schedule for the team, they certainly keep Mike present at countless events. Even though Mike’s presence is required at sporting events, including football games, his schedule remains chaotic.

For a typical gameday, Mike and his team go around tailgates and meet people. Afterwards, he runs down Victory Hill with a flag, leading the drum major, who ultimately leads The Golden Band from Tigerland.

He then performs in the PMAC’s traditional game-day pep rally. At this time, Mike typically greets and talks to fans, especially those in the L Club, an organization that supports former athletes of the institution. He also spends plenty of time playing with the kiddos to keep them entertained.

After the Color Guard, Golden Girls, and the band arrive at the assembly center, Mike raises the energy in the room with his dance moves and by hyping up the students who are also there to entertain. Nevertheless, the real task comes on the field.

“[During pre-game] he starts in the back of the end zone, and then goes from the back to the 40-yard line, dances, moves up five more yards, runs sideline to sideline, runs to the other end zone, then runs sideline to sideline again.”

Suffice to say, Mike does a lot of cardio every gameday. While being a collegiate mascot may seem insignificant to some, Mike brings energy and positivity to the LSU community.

In my four years at the university, I have never heard someone say something negative about the furball, and it’s because he’s adorable, has a great team behind him, and works hard to put a smile on everyone’s face.

For those who are interested in putting a smile on others’ faces while dressing up like the legendary tiger, there are tryouts to become the next Mike. Every spring, Team Mike and some athletic coaches hold tryouts to find their next Mike. For more information on potentially becoming the next Mike, check out the hyperlinked information.

Although not every detail in reference to what occurs in the tryouts is known, one element of the Mike character has been noted. Anyone who wants to become the next Mike must learn how he walks.

“The Mike walk is…the way I kind of describe it is he walks as if he owns the place,” Terro said. “It’s an aura, just swagger and confidence.”