Nittany Lion

Nittany Lion
Nittany Lion
	The Nittany Lion mascot at the 2007 season opener at Beaver Stadium against FIU
University	Pennsylvania State University
Conference	Big Ten
Description	Nittany Lion
Origin of name	Mount Nittany in Pennsylvania
First seen	1904;121 years ago
Website	gopsusports.com/nittany-lion

Last updated September 16, 2025

The Nittany Lion is the eastern mountain lion mascot of the athletic teams of the Pennsylvania State University, known as the Penn State Nittany Lions. Created in 1907, the "Nittany" forename refers to Mount Nittany, which overlooks the university.

History

The mascot was the creation of Penn State senior H. D. "Joe" Mason in 1904. While on a trip to Princeton University, Mason had been embarrassed that Penn State did not have a mascot. Mason did not let that deter him: he fabricated the Nittany Lion on the spot and proclaimed that it would easily defeat the Princeton Bengal tiger.^[1]

The Lion's primary means of attack against the Tiger would be its strong right arm, capable of slaying any foes, which is now traditionally exemplified through cumulative one-armed push-ups after the team scores a touchdown. Upon returning to campus, he set about making his invention a reality. In 1907, he wrote in the student publication The Lemon:

Every college the world over of any consequence has a college emblem of some kind—all but The Pennsylvania State College...Why not select for ours the king of beasts—the Lion!! Dignified, courageous, magnificent, the Lion allegorically represents all that our College Spirit should be, so why not 'the Nittany Mountain Lion'? Why cannot State have a kingly, all-conquering Lion as the eternal sentinel?^[2]

Origins of the Nittany Lion

Eastern mountain lions had roamed on nearby Mount Nittany until the 1880s.^[2] The name "Mount Nittany" derives from the Algonquian word meaning "single mountain."^[3] The "original" Nittany Lion can be seen in the Penn State All-Sports Museum. It was killed in Susquehanna County by Samuel Brush in 1856.^[4]

According to a July 1992 article in National Geographic , "Courthouse records from Centre County, Pennsylvania show that one local hunter killed 64 lions between 1820 and 1845."

The Tale of the Nittany Lion Mascot

The history of the Nittany Lion mascot is documented in The Nittany Lion: An Illustrated Tale (1997) by Penn State librarians Jackie R. Esposito and Steven L. Herb. The book traces the origins of the mascot from the local folklore of Indian Princess Nita-nee and the mountain lions that once roamed central Pennsylvania, to the adoption of the “lion” as Penn State’s symbol following a 1904 baseball game at Princeton University. It also details the creation of the limestone Nittany Lion Shrine on the University Park campus, and the tradition of the “Men in the Suit,” the many students who have performed as the mascot. The work further connects the mascot’s story to notable figures in Penn State and Pennsylvania history, including folklorist Henry Shoemaker, student leader H. D. “Joe” Mason, sculptor Heinz Warneke, mascot performer Norm Constantine, and football coaches Rip Engle and Joe Paterno.

Female Nittany Lion Mascot Finalist

In 1996, Nancy Barrett (Rehm) became the first and, to date, only female to try out for the Nittany Lion mascot position. She was one of four finalists for the 1996–97 role, performing a prepared skit, impromptu routine, and the traditional one-arm pushups at the final tryout in Rec Hall. Although not ultimately selected, Barrett’s advancement marked a historic milestone in the mascot’s history.^[5]

The Lion Suit

The design and construction of the Nittany Lion mascot costume has evolved significantly over time. The earliest versions were produced by Clearfield Furs and made from real mountain lion skin. In 1990, following the company’s closure, production shifted to Elisabeth DeAngelo-Tucker and her husband John Tucker, who continue to create the suit. Elisabeth, trained in sewing by her mother Mieko DeAngelo, modernized the costume by introducing lightweight and washable polyester faux fur, improving durability and ease of maintenance. Despite these updates, traditional features such as the Lion’s exposed teeth - carried over from the original design - remain part of the suit’s appearance.^[6]

Theme song

In the early 1920s, a song was created to honor the mascot. Entitled "The Nittany Lion", it is played during sporting events on campus.

References

↑ "Penn State: What is a Nittany Lion?". Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
1 2 Cronin, Brian (May 20, 2012). "The story of the Penn State Nittany Lion". Los Angeles Times.
↑ "Creating Penn State memories | The history, impact of Mount Nittany | State College News | psucollegian.com". Archived from the original on 2025-01-14. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
↑ This Is Penn State, An Insider's Guide to the University Park Campus, pg. 74
↑ Esposito, Jackie R.; Herb, Steven L. (1997). The Nittany Lion: An Illustrated Tale. Foreword by Joe and Sue Paterno. University Park, PA: Penn State University Press. pp. 204–206. ISBN 0-271-01588-8.
↑ Foley, Anna (2014-10-10). "Meet The Lion Makers". Onward State. Retrieved 2025-09-15.

External links

Official website
Nittany Lion Mascots Archived 2018-03-10 at the Wayback Machine
Esposito, Jackie R. and Steven L. Herb. The Nittany Lion , Penn State Press, 2001 ISBN 0-271-02115-2

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[history2-1] "Penn State: What is a Nittany Lion?". Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2008.

[LATimes2-2] 1 2 Cronin, Brian (May 20, 2012). "The story of the Penn State Nittany Lion". Los Angeles Times.

[3] "Creating Penn State memories | The history, impact of Mount Nittany | State College News | psucollegian.com". Archived from the original on 2025-01-14. Retrieved 2025-08-30.

[4] This Is Penn State, An Insider's Guide to the University Park Campus, pg. 74

[5] Esposito, Jackie R.; Herb, Steven L. (1997). The Nittany Lion: An Illustrated Tale. Foreword by Joe and Sue Paterno. University Park, PA: Penn State University Press. pp. 204–206. ISBN 0-271-01588-8.

[6] Foley, Anna (2014-10-10). "Meet The Lion Makers". Onward State. Retrieved 2025-09-15.

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v t e Penn State Nittany Lions football
Venues	Old Main Lawn (until 1891) Beaver Field (1892–1908) New Beaver Field (1909–1959) Beaver Stadium (1960–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota: Governor's Victory Bell Ohio State Old Ironsides Pittsburgh Syracuse West Virginia
Culture & lore	Nittany Lion "Fight On, State" Penn State Blue Band Uplifting Athletes Joe Paterno statue Something for Joey 1982 Nebraska game Child sex abuse scandal 2016 Ohio State game Paterno White Out 2021 Illinois game
People	Head coaches All-Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1881 1882–1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Penn State Nittany Lions basketball
Venues	Armory (1896–1929) Rec Hall (1929–1996) Bryce Jordan Center (1996–present)
Culture & lore	Legion of Blue Nittany Lion "Fight On, State" Penn State Blue Band
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics