Why is the football team from the U. of Pennsylvania called the Nittny Lions?
116884
The University of Pennslyvania isn't called the Nittany Lions, they are called the Quakers.\n\nPenn State University is the Nittany Lions and the name was chosen by students in 1906. The actual mascot is a mountain lion, but is referred to as a Nittany Lion because Penn State rests in the Nittany Valley at the foot of Mt. Nittany, the lion was called a Nittany Lion.
498957
I think the Detroit Lions because they got very good people from the draft not to mention the pick-up of Rod Maranelli and Mike Martz.
806245
For the beginning of American Football go to the NCAA website.  The first known game was a college game between Princeton and Rutgers back in the 1890's.  Professional football has a sorted past.  There were many "regional leagues" from the early 1900's.  These were primarily in the NE and MidW.  An example of these teams would be the Philadelphia Yellowjackets and Pittsburg Steelers.  Look up either/both teams for that background.  The NFL, as we know it, arrives in the 40's.  The NFL Hall of Fame in Canton can supply you with all the details.
460716
I did like the,, Steelers till they became the,, Stealers\n\n\nThey named that team right.
874466
The Candian football team the Toronto Argonauts. \n\nMichigan State Spartans (Sparta, Greece)
476398
Mascot names at the college or pro level were never intended to be an insult... it's only in today's ridiculously politically-correct environment that anyone has found fault with these names, many of which have been around for 100 years or more... I can't speak for all high schools, I know there has been controversy at that level regarding some team names...\n\nHere in Florida, the Florida State mascot is, of course, the Seminole... some idiot in Washington decides that this is racist, and some politician in Florida demands to change the name... turns out that the Seminole tribe themselves are honored to have the Florida State teams named after them, so the name is still intact... \n\nBut a lot of teams have changed their names... the St. John's "Red Storm" were called "The Redmen" until sometime in the '90s.\nSyracuse used to be called "The Orangemen", now they're just "The Orange".\n\nIt's absolutely ridiculous.\n\nNow of course, every year you'll see 'protests' about the Washington Redskins name, or the Cleveland Indians, or the Atlanta Braves... \n\nI'm black, and people have said to me, wouldn't you be insulted if a team was called the Nig***s or something like that.. and the answer is "yes, of course that would be insulting, but NO ONE HAS EVER DONE THAT, AND NO ONE EVER WILL".    NO ONE is going to name a team with a term for the express purpose of insulting someone... team names are chosen to honor someone or something... \n\nAnyone who thinks these names were chosen for the purpose of insulting 'native' Americans is an idiot.
1069053
An All-America team is a sports team composed of star players. It is usually used in U.S. team sports to refer to players that are selected by members of the national media. The term is used primarily with regard to college and occasionally (and more controversially) high school players; professional players are usually referred to as all-stars, or, in the case of professional football, "All-Pros", who are usually selected by the fans to compete in Pro Bowls. Selection to such a team is primarily of an honorary nature; All-America teams, unlike some other all-star teams, are generally not assembled for the purpose of playing games as a unit. The original usage seems to have been to a list of players regarded as the best of that year at their respective positions in college football selected by football pioneer Walter Camp in the 1890s; the College Football All-America Team is still selected annually by his successors and continues to be one of the most prestigious.
210364
How about the Patriots? They're from New England, where America began and the name is more 'American'. 'Redskins' is an insult to Native Americans. The Cowboys hail from a state that gave us G.W.Bush. The Patriots come from Massachusetts which gave us John Adams,  John Quincy Adams,  Calvin Coolidge, and John F. Kennedy.
353568
PITTSBURGH STEELERS !!!!!!!!!!!! ; college: PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1025948
Lots of possibilities here..hmm...\n\nthe Pottsville Maroons, perhaps, or the Rock Island Independents? The Tonawanda Kardex played a grand total of ONE game in Tonawanda (near Buffalo) in 1921 (they lost 45-0).\n\nActually, I believe that the smallest town ever to host its very own NFL team was La Rue, Ohio, the "Home Sweet Home" of the Oorang Indians - a franchise that existed for the 1922 and 1923 seasons. Most football fans have heard of Oorang's biggest star - yup - it was the legendary Jim Thorpe. The Indians were aptly named, as the entire roster was made up of Native Americans.\n\nPerhaps that had something to do with why the team played only 1 home game in their 2 year existence - the game was played in Marion, Ohio.
868226
and they all laughec when the other teams left and look at them know,..intersting 3 teams of the big east Rutgers, Louisvile, and West Virginia, also three teams from the Big 10 Ohio St. , Michigan and Wisconsin!! and they also said this was a down year for the Big 10 also. Makes you wonder, on what the so called experts was thinking ..
18458
Used as a nickname for a native or resident of Indiana.\n\nWord History: We know where Hoosiers come from: Indiana. But where does the name Hoosier come from? That is less easy to answer. The origins of Hoosier are rather obscure, but the most likely possibility is that the term is an alteration of hoozer, an English dialect word recorded in Cumberland, a former county of northwest England, in the late 19th century and used to refer to anything unusually large. The transition between hoozer and Hoosier is not clear. The first recorded instance of Hoosier meaning “Indiana resident” is dated 1826; however, it seems possible that senses of the word recorded later in the Dictionary of Americanisms, including “a big, burly, uncouth specimen or individual; a frontiersman, countryman, rustic,” reflect the kind of use this word had before it settled down in Indiana. As a nickname, Hoosier was but one of a variety of disparaging terms for the inhabitants of particular states arising in the early 19th century. Texans were called Beetheads, for example; Alabamans were Lizards; Nebraskans were Bug-eaters; South Carolinians were Weasels, and Pennsylvanians were Leatherheads. People in Missouri might have had it worst of allthey were called Pukes. Originally, these names were probably taken up by people living in neighboring states, but belittled residents adopted them in a spirit of defiant pride, much as American colonists turned the derisive term Yankee into a moniker for their spirit of rebellion. Today, most of these frontier nicknames have disappeared from the landscape. A few like Okie still exist with much of their original animus. Others survive as nicknames for the sports teams of state universitiesthe North Carolina Tarheels, the Ohio Buckeyes, and so onfighting words only on the playing field or court.
819126
The Pittsburgh Steelers.\n\nThey also won in 1976, so if you meant which team won from the 1975 season, it was still the Pittsburgh Steelers.
973315
Actually, many years ago, the Big Ten was called the Western Conference; also was once called the Big Nine Conference. Then it became the Big Ten and stayed that way for many years(with ten teams) Penn State was the last to join, resulting in eleven schools. The conference simply stayed with the name Big Ten because of tradition.
744749
Latrobe is in Western PA, which is one of the best places in America to play high school football. Great fan support, great competition, and the chance to play in an area that is heavily recruited. However, Greater Latrobe is not a great football program by any means, although in fairness it plays in AAAA, which is the most difficult division in Pennsylvania. \n\nThe best geographical program close to Latrobe would be Greensburg Central Catholic, which routinely plays well into the PIAA and WPIAL playoffs.\n\nAs far as Penn State, they recruit HEAVILY from all over the state, but WPIAL particularly. Paul Posluzsny and Justin King are both from the WPIAL, and were prized recruits from PSU. For exposure from PSU, you can't go wrong playing in Western PA.
231819
Penn St. was the 11th team.  Before they joined the conference, there were 10 teams.  When Penn St. joined, they just didn't want to change the name of the conference, but if you look at the logo for the Big 10, there's an 11 in the background.
45714
Because they're not a very good football team.  Saw them play in Pittsburgh (didn't see them otherwise this year) incredibly unimpressivly and can't figure out why they were being so talked up.  With the division they were in and the schedule, did they beat any teams with a winning record?