The Clemson Tiger is the official mascot of Clemson University, a renowned public research university located in South Carolina, United States. Since its establishment in 1889, Clemson has embraced the tiger as its symbolic representative, signifying strength, agility, and determination. The tradition of the Clemson Tiger as the school's mascot can be traced back to the early 20th century. In 1914, a Clemson football player named John C. "Tarzan" Stoeckinger coined the term "Tigers" to describe the football team's fierce and relentless playing style. This moniker quickly gained popularity and was soon adopted as the official nickname for all Clemson sports teams.
Here's the thing – anthropomorphic mascots are already creepy as hell. You don't need to do anything else to make them more creepy. But see, this is where Clemson decided to step out of the box.
He was topped only by Oklahoma State s Pistol Pete which, yeah , Maryland s Testudo which is pretty much a Ninja Turtles villain and Purdue s Purde Pete which, yeah. Now, it is our job to partner with the university to protect, manage, and develop the brand to ensure the value of the Tiger Paw is maximized for Clemson.
This moniker quickly gained popularity and was soon adopted as the official nickname for all Clemson sports teams. The Clemson Tiger mascot, now affectionately known as "The Tiger," is often depicted in a variety of forms. From costumed individuals prowling the sidelines during games to animated cartoon characters, the tiger persona has become synonymous with Clemson's spirit and identity.
Get to Know Clemson's Mascot, Which is Nearly As Unimaginative as it is Creepy
If you have not yet heard, Ohio State plays Clemson in the College Football Playoff Semifinal on New Year's Eve.
While I'm sure that game will be fine and good, and you can read all about it on Eleven Warriors Dot Com, I'm here to talk about a much more pressing matter.
Clemson's mascot is creepy, unimaginative and just bad all around.
The History
Clemson's mascot is a Tiger, which is fine if you're a local tee-ball team. As far as mascots go, a tiger is pretty much as unimaginative as it gets. It's the most common team name in Division 1 football and the second most common across all American sports at the high school, college and professional levels, being used by 1,354 different teams, according to cheatsheet.com.
The name choice is undoubtably unoriginal, but best part is Clemson didn't even come up with it on their own. The school actually stole the idea of using America's second-most generic mascot. When Walter Merritt Riggs – the father of Clemson football – came to the university, he took the Tigers name from his alma mater, Auburn, and brought it with him.
The good news is, when you make your mascot something as basic as a tiger, it's pretty much impossible to screw up, but Clemson did it.
Because of course, we needed a graphical combination of the two terrible mascots.The first failure was deciding to have a costumed mascot that wasn't actually a tiger.
While the athletic teams were nicknamed the Tigers since 1896, a tiger mascot didn't appear on the field until over 50 years later. Meanwhile, Clemson had a different costumed mascot representing the team (which was still nicknamed the Tigers) – the Country Gentleman.
The Country Gentleman was on the Clemson sideline until 1973, when the school made numerous changes to distance itself from antebellum south.
The Tiger Pregame Show describes the Country Gentleman as follows.
A top-hatted character in a purple tail coat, with a cane, he represented the Southern hospitality and class of the Clemson student, epitomized by the phrase, "a Clemson man needs no introduction."
The description of Clemson's first mascot – one that it had on its sidelines for over 30 years – is nearly identical to the first result when you perform a Google Image search for "pimp outfit."
So as we move on, do keep in mind that the heinous aberration Clemson currently uses as its mascot is somehow a drastic improvement on the original concept.
The Tiger
The thing's name is "The Tiger." That's it. Seriously. Clemson chose the most generic mascot in college football and doubled down by giving it the most default name possible. It's almost like someone forgot to fill in a box in the create-a-mascot feature of a video game.
I'm not referring to this thing as "The Tiger" throughout the rest of this piece because that's more obnoxious than Clemson's colors scheme, so he will henceforth be known as "Dave" because it's generic enough to be on brand yet still better than what they currently call him ("8-Ball" also works).
Here's the thing – anthropomorphic mascots are already creepy as hell. You don't need to do anything else to make them more creepy. But see, this is where Clemson decided to step out of the box.
Every other tiger mascot in Division 1 – Auburn, LSU, Memphis, Missouri – follows a similar recipe: a big and cute head, small and discrete black eyes and a relatively seamless and tight body suit. Dave just threw all that out the window.
Dave's head is tiny, which to be fair is more realistic than his humanoid tiger counterparts. However, if you're going for realistic, you probably shouldn't be putting a human inside a plush, bright orange tiger costume in the first place. The tiny head is unnerving and kills the cute, cartoon character vibe.
Sick Nikes, bro.In the face, Dave gives off the vibe of a coked-out orange dementor with stripes and whiskers. His eyes seem ready to lock you into a hypnotic trance while he sucks out your soul to use as collateral in a future back-alley yayo deal.
The rest suit looks like something you'd find at a local carnival or a middle school sporting event. It's far baggier than it should be, the seams at the hands and the neck are obvious, and in most cases you can blatantly see the wearer's shoes underneath the foot flaps. It just has the look of a stuffed animal a child picks up off the street and you have to scream "don't touch that, you don't know where it's been!"
It's no wonder CBSSports.com ranked Dave as the No. 4 scariest mascot in college football. He was topped only by Oklahoma State's Pistol Pete (which, yeah), Maryland's Testudo (which is pretty much a Ninja Turtles villain) and Purdue's Purde Pete (which, yeah).
Dave is bad, creepy, has the eyes of a coke head and to top it off, is painfully awkward:
The Cub
In 1993, Clemson decided to double up on horrendous mascots, adding an (ostensibly) younger version of Dave, ever-so-creatively named "The Cub" (David).
David is mostly terrible as well, but to his credit is definitely not worse than his counterpart, Dave. His eyes are far less tweaky and soul-sucking, and he has oversized shoes which totally cover the shoes of the wearer – so at least two fewer problems than Dave.
The other problems are still there. David still looks like a disease-ridden chew toy, his seams are somehow even more noticeable than Dave's and his suit is even baggier.
The most glaring issue is his jersey. Clemson so brilliantly decided David's jersey should be No. 1/2, which would actually be moderately clever if Dave were wearing No. 1 instead of 0. As it is, instead of a number that's adorably smaller than that of his older counterpart, David's number appears to be just an arbitrary fraction.
Good try, good effort, Clemson.
I do not know who will win when the Buckeyes play the Tigers on New Year's Eve, but I do know that Clemson's mascot is so horrendously creepy and uncreative that it is somehow objectively worse than Brutus, who is an anthropomorphic tree nut with a striped shirt.
- 2016 Fiesta Bowl
Clemson's mascot is creepy, unimaginative and just bad all around.
The current iteration of the Clemson Tiger mascot made its debut at a Clemson vs. Presbyterian College football game on September 15, 1954. This version, designed by Tom Price, features a fierce-looking tiger wearing a purple jersey emblazoned with the number "7." Over the years, the mascot's appearance has been refined and updated to create a more interactive and engaging experience for fans. In addition to representing Clemson University at various athletic events, The Tiger also serves as an ambassador for the institution. The mascot frequently visits schools, hospitals, and community events, spreading joy and enthusiasm wherever it goes. The Clemson Tiger mascot holds a special place in the hearts of students, alumni, and fans alike. Its presence at games and other university functions fosters a sense of unity and pride among the Clemson community. The mascot embodies the university's core values of excellence, teamwork, and determination, serving as a symbol of the institution's commitment to academic and athletic excellence. In conclusion, the Clemson Tiger mascot exemplifies the spirit and tradition of Clemson University. Through its representation of strength, resilience, and pride, The Tiger has become an enduring symbol of the institution's values and achievements. Whether on the football field or in the community, the Clemson Tiger continues to inspire and unify students, alumni, and fans around the world..
Reviews for "The Impact of the Clemson Tiger Mascot on Recruitment and Admissions"
1. John - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with the Tige Clemson mascot. I found it to be quite underwhelming and not at all representative of the spirit and energy of the Clemson Tigers. The costume looked cheap, and the design lacked the fierceness and intensity that you would expect from a mascot. Overall, I think they could have put in more effort to create a more compelling and engaging mascot for the university.
2. Sarah - 3 stars - While I appreciate the effort put into creating the Tige Clemson mascot, I have to say that it fell short of my expectations. The costume design was a bit lackluster, and the overall appearance was not as captivating as I had hoped. I also found the movements and interactions of the mascot to be a little awkward and unnatural. It just didn't have that wow factor that I was looking for in a mascot.
3. Robert - 2 stars - I was really unimpressed with the Tige Clemson mascot. The costume looked outdated and not at all professional. The character design itself was also a bit confusing and didn't seem to match the identity of the Clemson Tigers. The mascot's movements were stiff and robotic, which made it difficult to connect with the crowd and create an exciting atmosphere. Overall, I think there is a lot of room for improvement in order to make the Tige Clemson mascot a more engaging and effective representation of the university's spirit.
4. Emily - 2 stars - As a longtime fan of the Clemson Tigers, I was really disappointed with the Tige Clemson mascot. It just felt like a missed opportunity to create a memorable and iconic character. The costume was bland and uninspiring, and the movements of the mascot were clumsy and awkward. I think they could have done a much better job in capturing the essence and energy of the Clemson Tigers in the design and performance of the mascot. It left a lot to be desired, and I hope they consider revamping it in the future.
5. Michael - 1 star - I was extremely let down by the Tige Clemson mascot. The costume was shabby and poorly made, which reflected poorly on the university. The lackluster design and unenthusiastic movements of the mascot made it difficult to get excited during games and events. It felt like a cheap imitation of what a mascot should be, and I would have expected more from a prestigious institution like Clemson. Overall, I was highly disappointed with the Tige Clemson mascot and believe it does not adequately represent the spirit and pride of the Clemson Tigers.