Those feet where that of the Penn State Nittany Lion Shrine!You cannot go to Penn State and not have a picture with the most visited spot on campus and the SECOND most photographed spot in Pennsylvania (behind the Liberty Bell) !
The Nittany Lion Shrine:
Dedicated on October 24, 1942, the Lion Shrine was unveiled at Homecoming by the class gift of 1940.
Carved out of a 13-ton block of Indiana Limestone, it was created by Animalier Heinez Warneke and stonecutter Joseph Garatti.
In 1978, the Lion Shrine was vandalized! The Lion was hit with a blunt object and it caused his right ear to come off 🙁 Luckily, Heinez Warneke was still alive and able to match the stone and repair his ear.
Every homecoming there is an event at the Shrine with the Lion Ambassadors called “Guard the Lion Shrine.” Students, alumni and fans alike come to watch over the statue to prevent it getting vandalized. This tradition started after Sue Paterno, Joe Paterno’s wife, splattered orange paint on the shrine before a Syracuse game in 1966.
