Obie - The Iconic Tiger

In 1926, Viola Black won a student contest to name the Massillon High School papier-mâché Tiger mascot. She chose letters from the school’s colors – orange and black – using the first letter for each word to create “Obie” (OB).

Since then, Obie has taken on many forms. In 1938 a genuine tiger skin was fashioned into a costume worn by a student member of the Tiger Swing Band. Presently, a synthetic facsimile takes its place. Today Obie is present at many school and civic activities. Beginning in 1970, the Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club annually leased a live tiger cub for the football season. The cub was taken to all football games, both home and away, as well as to schools, club meetings and other gatherings. The program was discontinued in 2014 as a result of constraints imposed by the State of Ohio on the breeding and care of exotic animals.

Over the years, there have been a variety of artistic representations of Obie. The one commonly seen today and the inspiration for the Obie statue at the corner of Lincoln Way and First Street, first appeared in a Tyson Roller Bearing advertisement in the 1940 football game programs.

Tyson Roller Bearing Co. Game Program Advertisement (1940)

Alan Cottrill, "Obie". Bronze Statue (2022)

Paul "Pep" Paulson as "Obie" (1938)

For more information about Obie and the Massillon Tigers, visit the Paul Brown Museum located inside the Massillon Museum, where admission is always free.