Penn State is located in the Nittany Valley near Mount Nittany. The mascot is a mountain lion, an animal that became extinct in that area about a quarter century after the university was founded in 1855.
The name "Nittany" is said to be derived from Indian words meaning "protective barrier against the elements". The name is also attributed to a mythical Indian princess, "Nita-Nee", who is said to have led her people into the safety of the central Pennsylvania valley. When she died, the story goes, the mountain arose overnight above her grave.
The Penn State Nittany Lions owe their name to Harrison D. "Joe" Mason, a varsity baseball player of the Class of 1907. While at Princeton for a game in 1904, he and his teammates were shown a statue of a Bengal tiger as an indication of the fierce treatment they could expect from the Princeton team. Mason is said to have replied that the Penn State Nittany mountain lion was the "fiercest beast of them all". Penn State won the game that day, and Mason campaigned for adoption of the mascot back home. The student body officially adopted the symbol in 1906.
I snapped the above photo during one of my trips back to University Park in the mid-'80s. I'm quite proud of how well it came out, and I'm happy to be able to share it with you.
***Source: Q&A on the News by Karl Kahler, with contributions from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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