Youngstown State Penguins Youngstown State University is in NCAA Division I . Nicknamed the Penguins , they play in the Horizon League and Missouri Valley Football Conference , and compete in the following sports : In addition to the aforementioned sports , YSU also has a men ' s ice hockey club , which is a member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association , playing in the College Hockey Mid - America conference . The hockey club isn ' t considered an NCAA - eligible program due to Title IX - based reasons . YSU is the only Division I program in the country to have the nickname Penguins for its athletic teams . YSU ' s mascots are Pete and Penny , two penguins dressed in scarfs and stocking caps . There are two accounts of how the " Penguins " nickname came to be . Both stories come from the same cold evening on Jan . 30 , 1933 , when the men ' s basketball team was playing at West Liberty State . The first account is that a spectator said the team looked like Penguins as they stomped the floor and swung their arms . Without the team having an official nickname , fans took a liking to the word . A second account states that , on the way to West Liberty State with up to two feet of snow on the roads , passengers in Bennett Kunicki ' s car were discussing possible nicknames . " Penguins " was brought up and was well received by everyone in the car . The nickname was mentioned to members of the team at the gym that evening , and they thought it was perfect . The nickname was unanimously accepted by the student body that year without a formal poll . The nickname was formally introduced in " The Jambar " , the campus newspaper , on Dec . 15 , 1933 . Football . YSU has been particularly successful in , and is most recognized for , football . The program started in the 1930s and is one of the leading programs in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision ( formerly known as Division I - AA ) , YSU has won four I - AA National Championships , second only to Georgia Southern ( 5 ) , with all of them coming under former head coach Jim Tressel . Tressel , who left the university following the 2000 season to coach at Ohio State , helped the Penguins claim titles in 1991 , 1993 , 1994 and 1997 , as well as runner - up titles in 1992 and 1999 . His successor , Jon Heacock , did not win a national championship , but still delivered consistent seasons and took them to a national semifinal appearance in 2006 ( losing to eventual national champion Appalachian State ) prior to resigning following the 2009 season . Eric Wolford , a Youngstown native who has been labeled a top recruiter at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level , was named the sixth head coach in school history on Dec . 15 , 2009 ; a highlight of Wolford ' s second season was a 2011 victory over eventual National Champion North Dakota State . Overall , YSU has made 11 playoff appearances since Division I FCS ( then Division I - AA ) was formed in 1978 . Historically , YSU is associated with longtime coach Dwight " Dike " Beede , who , after noticing on - field confusion due to officials using whistles to signal a penalty , invented the penalty flag during a game in 1941 . The flag is now standard at all football games . YSU plays its home games at Stambaugh Stadium , nicknamed " The Ice Castle " , which has an official capacity of 20 , 630 , one of the largest in Division I FCS . The Penguins have sent over 20 players to the NFL , three of which ( Tim Johnson and Marcus Mason and Donald Jones ) are currently playing . Men ' s basketball . The Youngstown State men ' s basketball team began with the 1927 – 28 season . The team has competed in the NAIA from 1946 – 47 until joining NCAA Division II competition in 1960 – 61 . The Penguins joined Division I competition in 1981 – 82 , which was also the last season the team was coached by long - time coach Dom Rosselli . Over 38 seasons , Rosselli compiled a record of 589 – 388 ( ) . Upon joining Division I competition , the Penguins competed in the Ohio Valley Conference until the 1988 – 89 season . After four seasons as an independent , the Penguins competed in the Mid - Continent Conference from 1992 – 93 until joining the Horizon League in the 2001 – 02 season . Although the team has competed in NCAA Division I and has been a member of three separate conferences , the men ' s basketball team has yet to win a conference championship in either the regular season or conference tournament . Since joining the Horizon League in the 2001 – 02 season , the men ' s basketball team has never finished higher than a tie for fourth , and the women ' s basketball squad was the only winless team in college basketball during the 2009 – 10 season . Other sports . The Track and Field and Cross Country teams are consistently strong contenders in the Horizon League . The women ' s team has won five of the last six Horizon League Track and Field Championships . Also notable are the baseball and softball teams . In 2004 , despite having a losing record , the baseball team won the Horizon League tournament and went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time . The softball team followed this feat two years later by also winning the Horizon League tournament and qualifying for the NCAA Regional Softball Tournament . The Penguins ' primary athletic facilities are Stambaugh Stadium ( football and soccer ) and the Beeghly Center ( basketball , swimming , and volleyball ) . Horizon League track and field events will soon be held at the new Watson and Tressel Training Site ( " The WATTS " ) located next to Stambaugh Stadium . The WATTS is expected to be completed within the current ( 2011 - 12 ) academic year .