A look back at the Nittany Lion through the years.
First Image Caption Override
By 1940, the Nittany Lion took on the appearance of a mountain lion and more closely resembled the mascot we know and love today.
The Nittany Lion, pictured here in 1951, has a long history of working alongside Penn State cheerleaders to entertain fans and invoke school spirit. This is one of a number of iterations of the mascot costume over the years and decades — notice the whiskers, claws, full set of teeth and lifelike eyes on this one.
The Nittany Lion in 1961.
A fan-favorite tradition of the mascot is the Nittany Lion crowdsurfing during football games, shown here in 1976.
Norm Constantine, pictured here as the Nittany Lion with members of the LaVie sports staff in 1978, introduced the mascot's tradition of one-armed pushups. For nearly 50 years, the Nittany Lion has done cumulative pushups on the sidelines after every point scored by Penn State.
Over the decades the Nittany Lion has developed a knack for rallying the crowd at athletic events, like he's seen doing here in 1998.
The Nittany Lion, as we know and love him today.