When did Penn State join the Big 10? Taking a closer look at the Nittany Lions' history in the Big Ten
The Penn State Nittany Lions have an extensive history throughout college football, playing since the 1887 season. One cannot tell the story of the modern era of college football without mentioning the Nittany Lions, as they have been part of the Big Ten Conference for nearly 30 years.
There has been a lot of history and success for Penn State, even if you look at them since joining the Big Ten back in 1993. Let's discuss the history of the program and some of its most significant moments.
The Nittany Lions have a strong history
The Penn State Nittany Lions have been a mainstay in terms of popularity and a gigantic brand of winning. Since joining the Big Ten, Penn State has won four conference championships (1994, 2005, 2008, and 2016) but has yet to win a national title.
One big thing is that they have never made the College Football Playoff since its inception prior to the 2014-15 regular season. They have gotten close, though, as they finished as the fifth-ranked program to close the 2016 season.
The coaching tree has not changed much since the program joined the Big Ten, as after late Joe Paterno's exit, Tom Bradley coached the final four games of the 2011 season. They went on and hired Bill O'Brien, and he only lasted two years with a 14-12 record.
Then, the Nittany Lions hired James Franklin as the head coach heading into the 2014 season and have not looked back.
It is remarkable to think about the success of the Nittany Lions since joining the Big Ten. They are one of the biggest college football teams in the country and continue to have a winning culture.
You can't talk about Penn State without Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno is an integral character in the Big Ten era of the Penn State Nittany Lions. He was the head coach of the program from the 1966 season until the Jerry Sandusky scandal emerged towards the end of the 2011 season. When you mention Joe Paterno, there are a lot of mixed emotions surrounding him.
He had a career record of 409-136-3 as a coach as well as a bowl record of 24-12-1. There is no difficulty explaining how incredible of a football coach he was, but the whole Sandusky scandal left a permanent black cloud around him.