by AARON WEYMAN
GoPSUsports.com
| Dave Johnson will be remembered as one of the most versatile and creative mascots ever to prowl the sidelines at Beaver Stadium. |
t??s safe to say that Dave Johnson will never refer to his journey as the Nittany Lion mascot as ??boring.??
The first time he emerged in the suit was as a substitute for then-Lion Stephen Soung, who was in Orlando for a competition. Johnson cut his teeth as the school??s mascot while Lady Lion basketball great Kelly Mazzante broke the Big Ten basketball scoring record in a memorable night for many.
??The helmet I was wearing was too big.?? Johnson said. ??I had to shove some rags inside of it to keep it from sliding around on my head.??
Johnson will always remember his own development of becoming comfortable in the suit, but it was the feedback he received from the public that he recalls most fondly. ??The pure feeling of excitement and joy that came from making people cheer and smile??Fortunately, almost 3 years later, I still get that feeling every time I put on the Lion suit,?? he said.
Perhaps the most bittersweet duty of the Nittany Lion is the one-armed push-up. Johnson??s athletic background in high school of ice hockey, track and field, and baseball is a nice start, but practice is the best way to master the demanding tradition. He never intended to let his fans down, especially not during the 2005 Illinois game where the Lions rolled up 63 points ?C 56 before halftime ?C on an overmatched Illini squad. At the end of the night, Johnson estimates that he completed a total of 350 one-armed push-ups.
??My arm was quite sore for a couple days afterwards???? he remembers, in what might be the understatement of the year.
Johnson possesses all the necessary qualities that are required of an elite mascot and combines that with a creative touch that has become a crowd pleaser. During each home game, he positions himself in the corner of the south endzone - sometimes alone, sometimes with backup dancers - and performs his renditions of popular dances.
| Watch Dave Johnson perform the "Evolution of Dance" as the Nittany Lion! |
He has given fans his take on Michael Jackson, Will Smith and Napoleon Dynamite and bid a fond farewell to Beaver Stadium with one last routine on Saturday. His ??Evolution of Dance?? segment from the Northwestern game is truly one for the YouTube generation - multiple viewings are the best way to enjoy - one that will hopefully inspire future suit-wearers to expand their horizons and produce memorable experiences for fans.
Johnson kicked off his Penn State career with a record-setting night and will finish in a Bowl game that will include Paul Posluszny recording his final record-setting tackle. It is fitting that Johnson??s career is interwoven with the legacies of such Penn State greats.
Stuffing an oversized-helmet will be an easy solution for the next Lion, it??s filling Johnson??s shoes that will prove to be the real challenge.