STATE COLLEGE - Penn State says the man behind the mascot, who was cited for underage drinking last summer, has been dismissed for violation of a team rule.

And school legend holds that a student suggested the Nittany Lion mascot as a rival to Princeton University’s tiger. The Nittany Lions went in to halftime of the Orange Bowl up 10-3 on Notre Dame.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WHTM) – Have you ever wondered where Penn State got the idea to make the Nittany Lion their mascot? According to Penn State University, the idea was first formed 119 yea… ...

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 through the mid-1800s.