Tag: Nittany Lion mascot

The best photos of the Penn State Nittany Lion mascot

Here are some of the best photos of Penn State’s iconic mascot, the Nittany Lion!

What would a Penn State football game day be without the iconic Nittany Lion mascot patrolling the sidelines of Beaver Stadium and mixing it up with any visiting mascots? The Nittany Lion is every bit a part of the gameday tradition on a Penn State game day as he helps lead the crowd in pregame chants and ruffling his ears for the national television cameras.

Penn State didn’t always have a mascot, but the Nittany Lion has been making appearances at games since 1907. The concept for the Nittany Lion is credited to H.D. “Joe” Mason, a former student at Penn State. Mason was inspired to create a mascot after a trip to Princeton in 1904. Mason wanted to create a mascot he felt as superior to the Princeton tiger, and he thought there was no better option than a mountain lion, with the Nittany nickname influenced by the nearby Mount Nittany.

The look of the Nittany Lion, like the Penn State football uniform, is fairly basic and straightforward, but there are few mascots in college sports more iconic than the stately Nittany Lion.

Here are some of the best photos of Penn State’s signature mascot doing what he does best, interacting with the crowd during a football game.

Survey ranks Nittany Lion among the worst mascots in college football

Penn State’s Nittany Lion mascot ranked among the worst in college sports? One new (horrible) new survey says so.

College football is ready to kick off and Penn State fans are returning to Beaver Stadium this fall after having the doors closed on them a season ago. When they return to games in Happy Valley, not only will they get a chance to see the football team in action in person once again, but they’ll get to soak in the gameday atmosphere with the Blue Band doing their pregame routine complete with a signature drum major flip, chants of “We Are” being answered with a raucous “Penn State,” and, of course seeing the mascot help lead the crowd.

The Nittany Lion mascot is as much a part of the Penn State gameday experience as anything else, and not having the mascot parading around the stadium in his iconic scarf and ruffling his ears for the camera is impossible to imagine. As beloved as the Nittany Lion is, one survey ranks the Nittany Lion among the worst in college sports.

A survey conducted by Quality Logo Products asked 1,266 people to score a variety of mascots. After tallying up the votes, Penn State’s Nittany Lion ranked toward the bottom among the worst in the survey. Northwestern’s Willie the Wildcat came in at No. 1 on the ranking. Willie the Wildcat was also ranked the sexiest mascot in the survey.

So right away, we know not to give this survey much credit.

Nov 26, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; The Penn State Nittany Lions mascot shakes hands with fans prior to the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Beaver Stadium. Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Lumping the Nittany Lion in the “worst” category with Oklahoma State’s Pistol Pete, UNLV’s Hey Reb, and Purdue’s Purdue Pete is an absolute atrocity, to put it kindly. The Nittany Lion is the sixth-worst mascot according to this survey, which can be filed away in the nearest trash receptacle at your earliest convenience.

We all know the Nittany Lion is a much better mascot than this garbage survey suggests. From the one-handed pushups after each score, meeting the drum major during the pregame drill, and getting each side of the stadium ready for the pregame festivities and more, there is simply no replacing the Nittany Lion.

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