Sports

What is a Nittany Lion Anyway?

by Jon Azpiri | January 1, 2009 at 04:07 pm

1020 views | 6 Recommendations | 3 comments

Many casual football fans watching the Rose Bowl matchup between USC and Penn State are asking themselves the same question: just what is a Nittany Lion?

The mascot for Penn State Athletics is a reference to the mountain lions that lived near the campus in the 1800s as well as nearby Mount Nittany.

The nickname was created by Penn State student H. D. "Joe" Mason. Mason was visiting Princeton University in 1904 when he came up with the name and declared that the newly-minted Nittany Lions would defeat Princeton's mascot, the Princeton Bengal tiger. After Mason's flash of genius, the name stuck. By 1907, the nickname had been widely adopted by the student body.

In the 1940s, the school built the Lion Shrine, a giant limestone statue of the Nittany Lion. During Homecoming weekend, rival schools often attempt to vandalized the Shrine. Penn State responds by sending out its ROTC detachment, as well as students and alumni, to guard the statue.

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clevan (not verified)

at 20:45 on January 1st, 2009

Penn State is a great football team with amazing fans. It is a great experience being at the game and always a great time from tailgating, hanging with the fans and watching the game. It is a great atmosphere to be in and is what makes Penn State an incredible place to be.

The Flying Nittany Lion

at 07:20 on January 2nd, 2009

The Penn State Nittany Lion mascot makes his first Skydive!!! All Penn State fans can witness this historical event captured on video in 2003, by watching it at youtube, "The Flying Nittany Lion".

(To the best of my knowledge, please correct my if I'm wrong)...... I make Penn State-Skydiving History, by making a 13,500 foot skydive dressed as the Penn State Nittany Lion Mascot! David Gill, '92 Comm(the nittany lion mascot), joined by fellow skydiver and PSU Alumnus, Bob Coppenhaver, '83 ENG. Two freefall videographers, Mike Starkey and Jim Harris, capture it all on video; edited with the Penn State Blue Band rocking the soundtrack. We Are....PENN STATE!

The Flying Nittany Lion has contributed a photo to this story.