Photo: LSU fan turns backyard into 'Tiger Park'

Leslie Tassin has been a big fan of LSU’s live mascot “Mike the Tiger” since he was a freshman at the university in 1964.

So much that tigers have been roaming his backyard for over a decade.

The Advocate has a really great story up this morning about the ultimate fan-made shrine in Baton Rouge, which was made to honor LSU and its mascot. Tassin converted what used to be a combination swing set and play area for his son, Paul, into a unique place dedicated to LSU sports memorabilia — and it’s awesome.

Tassin’s outdoor collection, which he calls his Parc-Tigre, French for Tiger Park, started 12 years ago when he received a Christmas gift of a paving stone molded to depict one of the school’s tiger face logos. He painted it purple and gold to make it stand out, and he liked the result enough to think it could go well with other LSU memorabilia he owned.

Much of it is tigers. And those tigers take various forms. There are different incarnations of the tiger head, as LSU’s logos have changed over the years. There’s a metal depiction of Louisiana with a tiger face cut out of it. There are images showing a cartoon Mike standing and holding up one claw. A horizontal wooden board is painted with Mike’s eyes separated by the bridge of his nose. There’s a tiger-shaped plastic hat.

According to the feature, Tassin, who is 70, has a favorite souvenir: a stadium seat cushion he got in 1965, when Ole Miss was LSU’s most hated rival. In addition to an image of Mike, it has the words: “Ole Miss Can Kiss What Sits on This.”

Tassin attended the Oct. 13 memorial for Mike the Tiger (Mike VI) and while he was a student, visited Mike III “almost every day.”

“I’ve always liked Mike the Tiger,” he said.

To see more photos of “Tiger Park,” head over to The Advocate.