Did You Know the Modern-Day Zone-Blitz in Football Originated at Penn State?

Former PSU Linebacker, Shane Conlan

I actually didn't know this, but the origins of one defensive style that has become famous and popular in the NFL -- the zone-blitz -- traces its origins to Penn State. Before it first became popular, the blitz was nothing more than what at the time was considered a gimmicky or trick play. It was something different to throw at an offense when least expected, in an effort to catch it off guard. This particular play was called "Magic."

From the Lion's Mouth: Do You Have What it Takes to be a Mascot?

PSU - Schuylkill Nittany Lion mascot, Eric Quackenbush

Various thoughts and images are conjured up when the name "Penn State" is brought to a conversation: Beaver Stadium, Joe Paterno, blue and white, the Lion Shrine, Nittany Inn, Old Main, THON (the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, fighting childhood cancer), Bryce Jordan Center, and of course the Nittany Lion.

Penn State has 24 campuses throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, including World Campus, which is an interactive online "campus" for students both domestic and abroad. Each campus within the state however, has a Nittany Lion mascot. I happen to be one of the many who is privileged to state that I am a Penn State mascot.

Lions' Joe Paterno Will Return to Happy Valley in 2011

Joe Paterno is as much symbolic to Penn State, as Penn State is to football.

A legend will return to Happy Valley in 2011. Yes the rumors, as rumors tend to go, were wrong. Rumors as bogus as Joe Pa being hospitalized while with the Nittany Lions in Tampa, FL for their bowl game against the Florida Gators, being just one of many typical rumors about the Lions' 84 year-old head coach.