Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
This Saturday Ohio State and Penn State square off in State College in a battle of top-five teams. There is plenty of hatred between the two Big Ten foes. Even though Penn State doesn’t want to admit that Ohio State is a rival, there is no question that the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes are just that. After Michigan, Penn State is easily Ohio State’s biggest rival in the Big Ten. Over the years the two schools have had many memorable games that have taken years off the lives of fans from both sides because of how closely contested many of the battles have been. Just to illustrate how close some of the games have been over the years, the three games between 2016 to 2018 were decided by a total of five points.
When it comes to a rival it’s easy to think everyone on the other side is bad. While there have certainly been some Penn State players and coaches that have been made it very easy to dislike, there are others that have been deserving of respect over the years. Maybe there have been some Nittany Lions that have gone on to play for your favorite NFL team, or they could have made a name for themselves in an area you are familiar with before going on to play at Penn State. Or it could be as simple as the way they have carried themselves before, during, or after their time at the university. There are even a few players that played at Penn State before transferring to Ohio State, or vice versa. With so many talents that have passed through State College over the years, it shouldn’t be hard to find at least one Nittany Lion that has been likable.
Today’s question: Which Nittany Lion do you secretly have a soft spot for?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Shane Conlan
I went to a very small high school in Western New York, where my graduating class had less than 90 people. While there are many great people that attended the school over the years, there are very few that have gone on to be “famous”. One of the few notable alumni from my high school is former Penn State linebacker Shane Conlan. Now I definitely don’t remember watching Conlan play at Penn State since he was a junior in college the year I was born, but he made our hometown proud with how he played in State College. Conlan was an All-American in 1986 and was named a finalist for the Butkus Award. In 2014, Conlan was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Conlan’s legend in Western New York grew even more when he was drafted with the eighth overall pick in the 1987 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. The linebacker didn’t take long to impress at the professional level, earning AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1987. Following his outstanding rookie season, Conlan was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl in three consecutive seasons starting in 1988. Even though they all ended with losses, Conlan was a part of the first three of four Buffalo Bills squads that went to the Super Bowl. Conlan made such an impact during his six seasons in Buffalo that he was named to the Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team. Following the 1992 season, Conlan signed with the Los Angeles Rams, who he would play three seasons for before retiring after the 1995 season.
Matt’s answer: The Nittany Lion Mascot
Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK
Wait, does this question mean Nittany Lion player? Oooooooooooh, that makes a lot more sense. I thought we were talking like either a real lion from Mount Nittany or the bedraggled mascot that Penn State trots out to games on Saturdays. Since actual, honest-to-goodness nittany lions could kill you, I went with the mascot.
I mean look at him, if that isn’t the saddest-sack mascot you’ve ever seen, I don’t know what is. His head isn’t attached to his body, it’s just like an extra-large flap of fuzzy skin. I mean, you just have to feel bad for this disheveled mess of a mascot. I mean, you can see up his sleeves, you can the person’s face inside the costume’s mouth, and the face is in a perpetual state of bewilderment. If Penn State was in the southeast rather than the northeast, the Nittany Lion would be the exact definition of “Bless his heart.”
Because I am an empathetic human, the Nittany Lion’s overall patheticness endears him to me. He’s kind of like the mascot equivalent of Charlie Brown; he’s kind of a mess, doesn’t have any special about him, and can’t seem to do anything right, but you can’t help but love him anyway.
So, if I’ve gotta love a Nittany Lion… I guess I’ll love that dilapidated, Party City-looking mascot Nittany Lion.