Whats a “Nittany,” as in the Penn State Nittany Lions?
According to Penn State’s All Things Nittany, the word “Nittany” probably derives from a Native American term meaning “single mountain.” The Algonquian-speaking tribes of central Pennsylvania used this description for the mountain separating what are today Penns Valley and Nittany Valley. The mountain overlooks the town of State College, where the Penn State campus is located. Some regional folklore, however, states the mountain was formed by the Great Spirit in honor of the Indian princess Nittany (or Nita-Nee). As for the famed Nittany Lion…well, way back in 1904 (just a year or two, perhaps, before football coach Joe Paterno took the helm) baseball player Harrison D. “Joe” Mason took umbrage at rival
