Penn State Nickname: Nittany Lions
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Countless teams from the pee-wee leagues to high schools,
colleges and even the pros _ have adopted the Lions as their
official mascot. But Penn State is believed to be the fIrst college
to adopt the lion as a mascot.
The mountain lion which once roamed central Pennsylvania
was chosen by the student body in 1906, as the athletic symbol.
Student Joe Mason had conducted a one-man campaign to
choose a school mascot after seeing the Prince ton tiger on a
trip with the Penn State baseball team to that New Jersey
campus.
The Lion was designated as a Nittany Lion, since Penn State is
located in the Nittany Valley at the foot of Mount Nittany.
INDIAN INFLUENCE
In regional folklore, Nittany (Nit-Nee) was a valorous Indian
princess in whose honor the Great Spirit caused Mount Nittany
to be formed. A later namesake, daughter of chief O-Ko-Cho,
who lived near the mouth of Penn's Creek, feel in love with a
trader. The tearful maiden and her lost lover became legend,
and her name was given to the stately mountain.
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