Penn State’s longtime mascot is a common mountain lion, the kind that roamed the mountains near the school’s State College ...

and since then the Nittany Lion has stuck in the hearts and minds of Penn State alums. The original mascot costume resembled an African lion, and 1921 was the first time a student wore it.

The nickname soon started to take off, albeit with some initial confusion. The first Nittany Lion mascot costume a student sported in 1921 was of an African lion, mane and all, which came from a ...