The Tiger (mascot)

Clemson's athletic teams have been nicknamed the Tigers since 1896, when coach (and later university president) Walter Merritt Riggs brought the name from his alma mater, Auburn University. The school's first costumed mascot was the Southern Gentleman, a student dressed in a purple formal suit with a top hat and cane. The name came from a Greenville News editor's nickname for Clemson students, and was discontinued in 1972. The first costumed tiger mascot appeared in 1954. A smaller, ostensibly younger, companion named The Cub was introduced in 1993. The Tiger's wide, yellow eyes are perceived by some as frightening. In 2014, CBSSports.com named The Tiger #4 on its list of ten scariest college football mascots. ==Traditions==

In 1978, mascot Zach Mills began the tradition of doing a number push-ups after every score equal to the number of points Clemson had in the game. ==References==