It isn't. Their mascot is a tiger. The tiger paw is just one of their symbols, like the "C" they use for their baseball team. But to answer the question, "Why is Clemson's mascot a TIGER?", it is because of Walter Riggs. He came to Clemson as the football coach in 1896 from Auburn University. He had always been a fan of the Princeton Tigers, and, therefore, gave Clemson the mascot.
Princeton's mascot is a tiger.
Truman
It's their choice, they decided they want a tiger as a mascot.
The nickname of DePauw University teams is the Tigers and their mascot is Tyler the Tiger.
Auburn University's sports teams are known as the Tigers.
The mascot for Princeton University is the Tigers.
Mike the Tiger is the mascot for the LSU Tigers. Mountaineer is the mascot for West Virginia University.
Jackson State University's mascot is the Tiger.
Tuskegee University's Mascot is The Golden Tiger
A Tiger.
The mascot for the Saskatchewan Roughriders is Gainer the Gopher. This mascot was first introduced in 1977. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team.