We Want the Lion...in the Hall of Fame!

Note: I posted this yesterday over at Nittany White Out, so if you already have read this I apologize. Click here for the original post.

It seems as though there is a Hall of Fame for anything these days. Of course there are the great halls of fame, such as the ones in Cooperstown and Canton. But there is also the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, the Writers Hall of Fame, and even a Christian Hall of Fame.

You may also be aware of the Mascot Hall of Fame that can be found in Delaware. This is relatively new and includes just a small sampling of mascots already inducted. Of course the Phillie Phanatic was part of the initial class along with the San Diego Chicken and the Suns Gorilla. Those three iconic mascots were the first three to be inducted in 2005.

In 2006 in addition to three professional sports mascots three collegiate mascots were inducted as well. Aubie (Auburn), Bucky the Badger (Wisconsin) and YoUDee the Fightin Blue Hen (Delaware) were members of the first college class in the Mascot Hall of Fame that year. I wonder how YoUDee got selected in a museum that resides in Delaware.

In 2007 the collegiate class inducted consisted of Brutus Buckeye (Ohio State), Big Red (Western Kentucky) and L'il Red (Nebraska). How cute to have an all red theme.

In 2008 only one mascot was inducted to the collegiate class; Smokey (Tennessee).

If you know me then you probably know where I am going with this. I am officially launching a campaign to get the Penn State Nittany Lion inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2009!


For some reason the Nittany Lion always seems to be taking a back seat to other mascots in college sports. Sparty and Brutus tend to be spotted on the cameras a little more than the symbol of our best. But how can you not love the "We Want the Lion!" chant, the one arm push ups after each score, the crowd pumping for each side of Beaver Stadium before the game starts, the ruffling of the ears, and the scarf? How is the Nittany Lion taking a back seat to these other mascots?

The Nittany Lion is by far one of the best mascots in college sports (my bias would say he is one of the best in all of sports behind the Phanatic) and he easily qualifies under the guidelines of the Mascot Hall of Fame (yes, there are actual guidelines) and there is no reason why the Nittany Lion has been kept from induction as long as he has!

• To be eligible for nomination a character must have been in existence for at least 10 years.
• During that time the character must have had, or continues to have, a major impact on their sport, and/or community.
• Eligible characters include characters that perform at live sporting events as a primary function of their existence at both the professional and collegiate level.
• Eligible characters should be inspiring and their performance would be considered memorable or ground breaking.

Does the Nittany Lion not get a check mark to each of those requirements? There are more specific rules for collegiate mascots...

Under our guidelines collegiate characters are those mascots that are the official costume character representing the college or university. This includes all institutions of higher learning above that of high school. Colleges and Universities are home to some of the most well known characters in the world. Their recognition is often based upon the tradition and passion of those who make up these respective communities. Local residents, faculty, students, and alumni are connected to and love these characters that represent them and their institution. The young performers who bring these characters to life come and go thru the years but the character lives on. The Mascot Hall of Fame is here to bring forth and honor the best of these programs.

To nominate a mascot will require some help though and that is where the Penn State community can come together. Here is what we will need to do. I will take the responsibility of filing the official nomination but could use some help in the rest of the process. This is where the fans come in.

Along with the nomination form we will need one good hi-res photo of the mascot. We will also need one three minute video of the mascot in action. The video must be in VHS or DVD format. We will also need supporting affidavits from local journalists in support of the Nittany Lion. That shouldn't be too hard, right?

The deadline appears to be coming up fast though so let's get cracking! With your help we can make it an overwhelming decision to vote the Nittany Lion into the Mascot Hall of Fame.

In closing, let's all say it together...WE WANT THE LION!