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But the games are more than just football. Fans can feel it in the atmosphere of one of college football's biggest stadiums. 

It's about tradition. Especially one tradition that started in 1904 and can be seen at every football game, home and away -- the Nittany Lion mascot.

"For me it's a really unique and a pretty much wonderful opportunity to represent Penn State as the university," former Nittany Lion James Sheep says.  "You embody all the traditions and the values Penn State has and it's also just, for me, the best way to give back to Penn State.  What better way to give back than be the "symbol" of the university?"

On any given game day, Penn State's mascot makes his way through the tunnel in Beaver Stadium and -- with a spring in his step -- he walks, runs, and even bounces his way towards the center of the field.

As one of Penn State's most recognizable characters, it's arguable that the Lion has more power over the crowd than any other individual in the stadium.

"It's one of the biggest adrenaline rushes I've ever had," says Sheep.  "You really do kind of control 110,000 people with, you know, the lift of a hand."

With a costumed paw he can make the fans in any section of the stadium stand up from their seats and yell as loud as physically possible.

Day or night, rain or shine, Big Ten Championship game or out-of-conference match-up, it is obvious the Lion is in charge.

"It's wild, it really is," says Sheep.

Although leading the Beaver Stadium crowd, doing back flips and even getting down on the turf to do those famous one-arm push-ups are all pretty cool feats, the Nittany Lion mascot does more than just support the home football team. In fact, he does more than just attend sporting events in general.

Sporting events are a large part of the job. Besides leading the crowd at all of the football games (home and away), dancing at all the home games for the men's and women's basketball teams, and cheering at every home game for the men's and women's volleyball teams, the Lion mascot also attends at least one game every season for all the other sports on campus. 

The Lion's duties do not end at athletic events.

"There's around three to 350 events a year - and probably half of that or maybe a little bit more is athletic events," Sheep says.

"I do things within the different colleges for faculty administration, I do a lot of philanthropic events -- things of that nature. Obviously THON's a big one," he says. The Nittany Lion mascot also visits elementary schools, high schools, nursing homes ... "The list kind of goes on," Sheep says.

He is the frequent face of Penn State marketing campaigns, too.

"I do magazine shoots, photo shoots, I do interviews for certain things," Sheep says," also appearing "in web productions, television commercials ... things like that."

"Me and the past lions, we kind of compare it to just having a full-time job, as well as, you know, school," Sheep says.

Although football is the highest profile appearance, each mascot is allowed to tailor his appearance schedule to reflect his personality and values.

"I put a lot more time into it," Sheep says. "I have a certain amount of events I have to do each year, but you know, I chose to do extra events -- specifically more in the philanthropic area or the student organizations," Sheep says.

"I tried to stick around after games, and you know, be with the kids, take pictures, hang out with them and stuff like that."

Sheep says he wants to be remembered "as somebody who just really cared about the position and really, you know, took the time to make it what it's suppose to be."

A speed bump for the Lion in a Rose Bowl season

A bad decision behind the wheel after an evening of drinking with friends left the first-string lion behind in the cold as the football team played in the Rose Bowl January 1, 2009, in Pasadena, Calif.

A minute with James Sheep: How he became a mascot

Former mascot James Sheep explains how he became the man in the Nittany Lion costume. The still photos included in this presentation are Sheep's favorite pictures of himself in action. The images were made by game day photographers Steve Manuel and Perry Bindelglass.

A minute with James Sheep: Life as the Lion

The Nittany Lion mascot has year-round responsibilities that go beyond his high-profile football appearances.

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