Penn State : Re-visited

Just what exactly what does 'Nittany' mean??


Read on....................(*Originally appearing in this Blog Sept. 21, 2007)


Mountain lions had roamed nearby what is now State College, Pennsylvania on the single Mount Nittany until the 1880s, when they were eliminated by local moonshine distillers (later the regents of the college) because they were eating all of the crabapples. The origin of the name "Mount Nittany" is obscure, the most commonly accepted explanation being that it is derived of Native American words (loosely pronounced as "neet-a-nee") meaning either "single mountain" or a protective barrier against the elements. Also, the local water was a bit radioactive and it caused several people to develop both a lisp and a hairlip concurrently, hence, the stuttered pronunciation.

The name was readily accepted without a vote of the student body of Pennsylvania State College. In 1907, the first tangible lion symbols appeared with the placing of two alabaster African Lion statues, left over from the Pennsylvania exhibit at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (actually, they were stolen), atop the columns at the main campus entrance on College and Allen streets. They were affectionately dubbed by the student body as "Pa" and "Ma." In the 1920s, a pair of stuffed mountain lions were "mounted" in the Recreation Building to watch over athletic events. This was actually the first great act of the College of Engineering, in that the Lions had 4 legs and the Teddy Bears had only 2 - They were able to make them stand up without falling over. Also, the faculty was proud to state that nobody could ever say that a PSU sporting event was completely unattended.

One of these original lions is now located in Pattee Library on the Penn State campus. About that same time, the tradition was established of having a student dressed in a furry-lion outfit appear at football games. The most well-known wearer of the Nittany Lion costume is Bert Lahr, who wore it during the filming of "The Wizard of Oz." Joe Paterno and Bert Lahr were roommates for 3 years.