College Football’s Most Unique Helmets (Youngstown State) Return Just In Time To Spoil Traditionalists' Lunch

Youngstown State University has arguably college sports’ most unique nickname; the Penguins. Unlike the Tigers, Bulldogs, Eagles or a slew of others, Penguins is quite literally in a class of its own. YSU stands alone as the only college with Penguins for a nickname.

Surely, there must be colonies of penguins waddling around Youngstown, Ohio, matching name to region, right? Not exactly. I should know, considering I live in Youngstown and have seen exactly zero penguins other than the giant scarved and hatted Pete and Penny mascots that roam the sidelines at Penguin home games and occasionally pop up in both the community and the dreams of furries. 

Yes, that’s right, Youngstown State has long had both a male and female mascot. And you thought you had to go all the way to Portland to be progressive.

YSU’s one-of-a-kind nickname pairs itself with an equally distinctive helmet design a few times each season. Beginning with the 2022 season, Youngstown State has traded in its traditional "Y" logo for an enormous penguin design that rests on each side of its helmets a few times every fall.

On Saturday afternoon, the logo returned for a road tilt with Illinois State. Like a mother-in-law (not mine), the logo itself is big, loud, and ever-present. 

Youngstown State – The Only Penguins Mascot In College Athletics 

For those of you not up to speed on penguin anatomy, these birds don’t take flight. And that’s fitting, because these lids would never fly in South Bend, Happy Valley or Tuscaloosa, where the simplicity of a helmet is celebrated almost as much as a Bowl win.

Could you imagine a pair of giant elephants adorning the domes of Crimson Tide players? Especially when Nick Saban was at the helm? Do you think Golden Domers would’ve been OK with a couple of leprechauns engulfing Brady Quinn’s earholes for the second half of every season? Doubt it. If James Franklin pushed for Nittany Lions on PSU’s lids, he’d be fired.

Oh, wait…

In between yapping about instant replay reviews and the length of game pants (cover those knees, boys!), traditionalists must gag at the site of these helmets.

The Pete (yep, that is very much the male version of YSU’s mascot, trust me) the Penguin logos across Youngstown State University’s helmets certainly aren’t for everyone. But YSU deserves props for using these oversized ‘guins as a recruiting tool. After all, we’re living in the Oregon era of collegiate sports where the University of Oregon has more uniform combinations than I have matching socks. 

And they, nor the Penguins, give a Duck if the traditionalists like ‘em or not. 

Follow along on X @OhioAF or email me: anthony.farris@outkick.com