University Park, Pennsylvania: Stuffed Nittany Lion
Penn State's mascot, the Nittany Lion, was once a real lion. Dead over 150 years, it has been preserved for your enlightenment.
Penn State All-Sports Museum
- Address:
- 1 Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
- Directions:
- Penn State All-Sports Museum. At the southwest corner of Beaver Stadium, which is at N. University Drive and E. Park Ave. on Penn State's University Park campus.
- Hours:
- Tu-Sa 10 am - 4 pm; Su 12-4 pm. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- Phone:
- 814-865-0044
- Admission:
- Free.
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
Visitor Tips and News About Stuffed Nittany Lion
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People who know college football know of the Penn State mascot, the Nittany Lion. What most people may not know is that today's mascot lion is based on a real, dead lion, which is now on display in a place of honor at the Penn State All-Sports Museum. Exactly how this particular lion -- dead over 150 years -- inspired the mascot's creation is murky. One theory is that it was on exhibit at the old Wildlife Museum at Penn State (it had been shot in Pennsylvania) when a Penn State baseball player, envious of Princeton's tiger mascot, saw it and thought, hey, a lion would make a good mascot. It's had a number of homes since then, being forgotten and rediscovered several times. Now it appears to be enshrined at Penn State for good.
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