Blue White Illustrated

The Nittany Lion has embodied Penn State's school spirit since 1904. Nearly a century a;er his debut, he's set to be enshrined in the Mascot Hall of Fame along with the best profes- sional and collegiate mascots from around the country. The Nittany Lion is one of four mas- cots in the hall's 2018 class. A;er the nomination was announced in Octo- ber 2016, a public online voting contest was conducted through January 2017, when the Nittany Lion was announced as one of the remaining six competi- tors. The 9nal voting process was completed by the MHOF lifetime voting members and executive committee mem- bers, which resulted in the Nittany Lion's selection to join the ranks of fellow Mascot Hall of Famers. "A lot of fans look at our lion as a symbol of the university, and they get really ex- cited when they see him," said Curtis White, head coach of the Penn State spirit squads and Nittany Lion coach. "He's our celebrity on campus. And he does a lot of great things in the community, too. It's a great honor." Before the Nittany Lion was adopted as the athletic mascot, Penn State fans rallied around Old Coaly, a mule that was born in 1855, the year in which the university was founded. Old Coaly helped carry lime- stone to the construc- tion site of Old Main as it was being built. A few years later, a baseball player came up with the idea for the Nittany Lion as mascot. While preparing to face Princeton University, the Penn State baseball team was shown two Bengal tigers, showing the 9erceness of the Prince- ton mascot. Harrison D. Joe Mason, a student and varsity baseball player, claimed that the Penn State Nit- tany Mountain Lion, king of the beasts, could beat the tiger. It wasn't until 1922 that a student 9rst donned a lion suit, which represented an African lion until morphing into a mountain lion in 1938. A;er multiple tryouts in the spring, a new Nittany Lion mascot is picked once the current one 9nishes his de- gree. The student chosen keeps their identity a secret until they reveal their faces by removing their mask at a recognition ceremony during the 9nal home Penn State football game of the season. Not just an athletic symbol, the Nit- tany Lion shows support for the uni- versity and surrounding community by appearing at various events such as charity fundraisers, celebrations and outreach e:orts throughout the year. The Nittany Lion will be honored next year at the Mascot Hall of Fame's 25,000-square-foot physical space, which is under construction in Whit- ing, Ind. He will be inducted alongside Tommy Hawk (Chicago Blackhawks), Benny the Bull (Chicago Bulls) and Sluggerrr (Kansas City Royals). Past collegiate inductees include Auburn's Aubie the Tiger and Wisconsin's Bucky Badger. ■ A W A R D S Nittany Lion to be enshrined in Mascot Hall of Fame Patrick Mansell State's problems up front, he was the Big Ten's third-leading rusher with 899 yards on the ground. He was even 2 for 2 as a passer, with a touchdown and a 416.2 efficiency rating. It's unclear whether he'll get any additional chances to play quarterback, but there's every reason to think he will continue to perform those other roles for the du- ration of his Penn State career – a ca- reer that may have only another month or so left. "Saquon is one of the better football players, if not the best football player, I've ever been around," Franklin said. "He's able to be explosive in so many different ways, and that's what we want to do. We want to get the ball into his hands in a lot of different ways. And I think that gives us the best opportunity to be successful." Will the Lions be able to get that run- ning game restarted as the season nears its end? As always, hopes are high. And in Barkley's case, there's some added comfort to be found in an approach that puts the team's accomplishments ahead of individual glory. "He's one of those guys who under- stands the game of football," receiver DeAndre Thompkins said. "He knows that you're not going to have a breakout game every game. He knows that teams are going to set out to stop him. And one thing that I admire from him is that he's a team player, he's not one of those guys who goes and demands the ball. He knows the type of players we are as re- ceivers. He knows the type of player Mike [Gesicki] is at tight end, he knows Trace [McSorley], et cetera. That's one thing that he handles very well. He knows he's not the only piece to the puzzle, and he's willing to sacrifice that for the success of the team." ■

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