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 ...

The reality of the Nittany Lion isn’t nearly as exotic or mysterious as its name might indicate. Penn State’s longtime mascot is a common mountain lion, the kind that roamed the mountains near ...

But how did the name come to be? And what, exactly, is a Nittany Lion? Heading into its Orange Bowl matchup against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals Thursday, here’s a ...