Schuylkill County Commissioners welcomed a special guest to their final public meeting of 2025, the recently unmasked Penn State Nittany Lion and 2021 Schuylkill Haven Area graduate Mason Reber.
Last month, Reber was ceremonially unmasked as the Nittany Lion mascot. He’s held that role – mostly in secret – since 2023. He said Wednesday that his last event playing the mascot at an outdoor hockey game at Beaver Stadium on Jan. 31.
Reber graduated Sunday from Penn State with a degree in engineering and will serve in the US Army Corps of Engineers, he said.
During his visit to the County Commissioners meeting, Reber spoke about what was involved in trying out for the role as the Nittany Lion mascot and a special moment he had with his godson, Abram, during his time in this unique role.
Reber is just the 54th person to ever serve as Penn State’s mascot. And unlike most schools that employ a team of people to act as mascot, at Penn State, there’s just one Lion.
The Haven grad and former football standout and scholar athlete said his fascination with the mascot began his first day on campus. Reber said the previous mascot had repelled off the side of a building for ROTC cadets like himself.
“My jaw was on the floor,” he said.
From that point on during his freshman year, after learning that the Lion was an ROTC student as well, he learned what it took to become the mascot, especially the grueling tryout process.
Reber said prospective Lion mascots must perform a two-minute skit, mixing their own music and props to tell a story. They then must do improv with a random object.
Then, tryouts must ditch their Lion costume and perform 50 one-arm push-ups before playing the cowbell.
Prospective Lions also need references and Reber thanked his ace in the hole, so to speak, for helping clinch his spot as Penn State’s mascot. That would be Schuylkill Haven Area School District Superintendent Shawn Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick, he said, was a runner-up to become the Lion during his time at Penn State and was told he really hit it off with Reber’s head coach during the interview process.
Since Reber’s become the Nittany Lion, he said he’s done about 1,000 appearances in costume. He called it a “wild and crazy job” but also said that “anybody could do it.”
Commissioner Boots Hetherington, a fellow PSU grad, begged to differ.
“I’m an engineer at Penn State and studying. I’m barely keeping above water,” Hetherington said. “This guy is in ROTC and the Lion … when do you sleep?”
One of the hardest parts of the job, Reber said, was keeping his identity as the Lion a secret. That was especially true in hiding that fact from his godson, Abram.
He added that Abram became obsessed with the Lion the first time he was able to meet the mascot in person, not knowing it was his godfather.
“It’s been hard to keep under wraps this whole time, that’s for sure,” Reber said. “He’s been obsessed with the Nittany Lion ever since he met him.”
Check out this video of Reber finally introducing himself as the Nittany Lion:
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