panther, or catamount, depending on where you are. The fierce cat is so popular that dozens of colleges have a mascot named for it. The Nittany part of Penn State’s mascot is unique to the ...

Penn State’s longtime mascot is a common mountain lion ... One of the Nittany Lions’ historic rivals, the Pitt Panthers, has a similar taxonomic nickname for a similar reason.

What makes a lion "Nittany," anyway? According to the Penn State website, before 1904, the school didn't even have a mascot, save for a work mule named "Old Coaly" that helped in construction projects ...

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Notre Dame mascot Colin Mahoney celebrates after a quarterfinal game against Georgia in a College Football Playoff, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew ...