William J. Latimer, class of 1906, did some research on the
subject and came up with the answer as to why Clemson’s
nickname is Tigers. “Due to the lack of helmets and head
protection, the players wore long hair. These long manes
might have gained them the name of Lions had it not been
for the orange and purple striped jerseys and stockings that
resembled tigers." It was early in the 1900s that Clemson's
teams were referred to as the Tigers, and the name has
endured.
Clemson President R. C. Edwards hired an advertising
agency to create the new Tigers insignia in 1970.
After studying tiger logos from across the country,
the agency concluded that there was very little
difference between them. Undaunted, the agency came
up with a new twist on the Tiger insignia. The Museum
of Natural History in Chicago was contacted and a
plaster mold of a tiger's paw was requested. President
Edwards' instincts were correct. There are a lot of
schools with a tiger mascot, but the Clemson Tiger
Paw distinguishes it from all others.