The Nittany Lion

For the mascot, see Nittany Lion.

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Song

"The Nittany Lion"

Song

"The Nittany Lion" is a traditional fight song played by the Penn State Blue Band at football games and other sporting events. During the pre-game show of home football games at Beaver Stadium, it is part of the traditional Lion Fanfare and Downfield. While it is not the official fight song of Penn State, it is one of the songs most widely associated with the university, and is also incorrectly referred to as "Hail to the Lion" (or Lions). On Fridays and Saturdays, the clock tower in Penn State's Old Main plays a line of the chorus music at the fifteen-minute mark of each hour, and adds a line every 15 minutes until the whole chorus is played on the completion of the hour.

## Lyrics

[edit]

The original lyrics were written by Penn State alumnus James Leyden between 1922 and 1924.[1]

Today, only the first verse and chorus are commonly used:

Every college has a legend
Passed on from year to year
To which they pledge allegiance
And always cherish dear
But of all the honored idols
There’s but one that stands the test
It’s the stately Nittany Lion
The symbol of our best

[Chorus] Hail to the Lion
Loyal and true
Hail, Alma Mater
With your White and Blue
Penn State forever
Molder of men (and women)
Fight for her honor
And victory again

## History

[edit]

"The Nittany Lion" was written by Penn State graduate and former Glee Club member James Leyden between 1922 and 1924. Professor Hummel Fishburn and Blue Band Bandmaster Tommy Thompson assisted Leyden in finishing the song, which was premiered at a pep rally the night before a football game to instant popularity.

The second verse was used prior to 1993, when Penn State was an IA Independent school. When it joined the Big Ten athletically in 1993, the third verse, The Big Ten verse, was written by a student who won a contest run around the University Renee Borusky. Currently the Blue Band performs the first and third verse of The Nittany Lion.

## See also

[edit]

* Penn State Alma Mater, official alma mater of Pennsylvania State University
* Fight On, State, official fight song of Pennsylvania State University

## References

[edit]

1. ^ DeAngelis, Mikey. "Writing A New Verse For The Lyrics To 'The Nittany Lion'". Onward State. Retrieved 10 January 2025.

* Range, Thomas E.; Sean Patrick Smith (1999). The Penn State Blue Band: A Century of Pride and Precision. Penn State Press. p. 232\. ISBN 0-271-01960-3.

## External links

[edit]

* Mp3 of "The Nittany Lion" at the Penn State Blue Band website
* Mp3 of "The Nittany Lion" at the Penn State Glee Club website
* Lyrics

* v
* t
* e

Pennsylvania State University

Located in State College, Pennsylvania

Academics|

* Agricultural Sciences
* Arts and Architecture
* Business
* Communications
* Dickinson Law
* Earth and Mineral Sciences
* Education
* Engineering
* Science
* Health and Human Development
* Hospitality Management
* Honors
* Information Sciences and Technology
* International Affairs
* Law
* Liberal Arts
* Medicine
* Nursing
* Technology
* Graduate
* Graduate Professional Studies

Athletics|

| Sports|

* Penn State Nittany Lions
* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Field hockey
* Football
* Men's ice hockey
* Women's ice hockey
* Men's lacrosse
* Women's lacrosse
* Men's soccer
* Women's soccer
* Softball
* Track and field
* Men's volleyball
* Women's volleyball
* Wrestling

|

Facilities|

* Beaver Stadium
* Bryce Jordan Center
* Golf Courses
* Pegula Ice Arena
* Penn State Ice Pavilion
* Medlar Field at Lubrano Park
* Rec Hall

Rivalries|

* Alabama
* Maryland
* Michigan State
* Ohio State
* Pittsburgh
* Syracuse
* West Virginia

Spirit|

* Legion of Blue
* Park Avenue Army
* Alma Mater
* Penn State Blue Band
* "Fight On, State"
* Nittany Lion (mascot)
* "The Nittany Lion"

Buildings|

* Academic buildings
* Berkey Creamery
* Nittany Lion Inn
* Old Main
* Palmer Museum of Art
* IST Building
* Mehalso Observatory
* Radiation Science & Engineering Center
* Residence halls
* University libraries

Campuses:
Commonwealth|

* Abington
* Altoona
* Berks
* Beaver
* Brandywine
* DuBois
* Erie (Behrend College)
* Fayette (Eberly Campus)
* Greater Allegheny
* Harrisburg (Capital College)
* Hazleton
* Lehigh Valley
* Mont Alto
* New Kensington
* Schuylkill
* Shenango
* University Park (Main campus)
* Wilkes-Barre
* Scranton
* York

Campuses:
Special Mission|

* Dickinson Law
* Graduate Professional Studies
* Medical Center (Children's Hospital)
* Law
* World Campus
* Technology

Departments|

* Cancer Institute
* Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Research|

* Applied Research Laboratory
* Garfield Thomas Water Tunnel
* Penn State Lunar Lion Team
* Correlates of War

Media|

* Daily Collegian
* Penn State Law Review
* Dickinson Law Review
* Penn State University Press
* WKPS (90.7 FM)
* WPSU (91.5 FM)
* WPSU-TV
* Onward State
* La Vie
* Phroth

People|

* Alumni
* Athletic directors
* Coaches
* Faculty
* Olympians
* Presidents
* George W. Atherton
* Neeli Bendapudi (current president)
* Joe Paterno
* Fred Lewis Pattee
* Jerry Sandusky
* Graham Spanier

Student life|

* Army ROTC
* Air Force ROTC
* Penn State Dance Marathon (THON)
* Penn State Thespians
* Penn State women's ice hockey club
* Penn State Glee Club
* Mount Nittany
* Nittany Lion Shrine
* Old Coaly
* State College

Related|

* History
* Joe Paterno statue
* Nittany Lion Shrine
* Child sex abuse scandal
* Fraternity hazing scandal

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