Lions, clocks and area codes: Take a tattoo tour with Penn State football players
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith smiled as he showed off the tattoos on his left arm toward the end of running through his 15-plus tattoos.
His mother’s birth date in Roman numerals, the words “Respect, Love, Loyalty” across his collarbone and a protest sign with “Black Lives Matter” are just a few of pieces of ink the wide receiver has accumulated.
“I don’t even know if that’s all of them,” he told the Centre Daily Times earlier this month at Beaver Stadium during Penn State football’s annual media day.
Lambert-Smith isn’t the only Nittany Lion with an impressive amount of tattoos. During media day, the CDT asked more than a dozen players to show off their tattoos and explain the meaning behind them. Below is a look at their tattoo tours.
Tight end Theo Johnson
On his left side:
Hands holding a globe with his mother’s birthday in Roman numerals on his left shoulder
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast in this time trial, for he who has stood the test he will receive the crown of life” James 1:12 on his upper left arm
Detroit skyline on his left bicep
Rose coming out of cracks above his left elbow
“Rare” in block lettering above his left elbow
Three crosses representing the holy trinity with a person walking toward them on his forearm
A crown with his brothers’ initials on the band
His last name in cursive script on his forearm
“Family over everything” on his thigh
A king chess piece with a shadow of a pawn above his ankle
Johnson was 18 when he got his first tattoo — the globe on his upper right arm — but he said his favorite is the rose above his elbow. The one that often confuses people is his tattoo of the Detroit skyline, considering that Johnson is from Windsor, Ontario.
“I’m not from Detroit so a lot of people are confused by that, but my city is right across from Detroit so this is the view I see whenever I come home,” Johnson said.
Center Nick Dawkins
On his left sleeve:
“Doubt,” a reference to his clothing brand and the phrase “do, not doubt”
A clock with hands pointing to the time his father passed away
A dove
Compass
Two street signs reading “Glacier Ct and Valley Forge,” a reference to where Dawkins grew up
A Bible verse
“Only the strong survive”
On his right sleeve:
“By any means necessary”
Portraits of his father, Darryl Dawkins, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers
Portrait of Muhammad Ali with a butterfly and bumblebee, alluding to Ali’s famous quote, “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”
The famous Philadelphia LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana
“TMC” the marathon continues, an homage to LA rapper Nipsey Hussle
Portrait of Malcom X
Portrait of Martin Luther King Jr.
The eye of Egyptian god Horus, representing prosperity and protection
On his right leg:
A scene from the infamous 1977 NBA final game where Darryl Dawkins and Portland Trailblazer Maurice Lucas got into a fist fight on the court
A King attacked by a panther with “nature knows no kings” underneath
“No pressure know pressure”
A chess pawn looking into a mirror, the reflection is a queen chess piece
Muhammad Ali underwater from Flip Schulke’s famous photo
Dawkins said his favorites are his portraits, which he hopes to add to in the future. He plans to add some famous football players like Larry Allen and Maurkice Pouncey to his collection.
“I got my dad’s signature autographed tattooed on my left pec, my mom let me get that one and after that it created the addiction to ink,” he said.
Cornerback Daequan Hardy
On his right arm:
A tattoo with roses for a friend who passed away
Three young angels depicting hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil with one covering ears, one covering eyes and one covering mouth
His hometown area code, 412
The 15221 ZIP code of his town near Pittsburgh on his forearm
“Loyalty over love” on his bicep
A globe with “Fats” across the top and a dove underneath, a tribute to a friend from his hometown who passed away
A wolf, snarling with a bone in its teeth on his shoulder
An eye with tears for Hardy’s aunt and uncle who passed way when he was younger
Safety Mehki Flowers
On his left arm:
“King,” his nephew’s name
His niece’s name
“Eternal life” in Japanese kanji on his forearm
A jersey coming through the skin with the number 1 and “Flemister,” a reference to his late friend Jay Flemister
A moneybag also in reference to Flemister
“Shed blood to succeed”
“Long live Jay” on his upper arm
A clock with the birth date of his niece on his forearm
Flowers has many other tattoos including his last name across his back, a full sleeve on his right arm and several on his calves. He said he has around 24, getting his first tattoo at 15 after winning a bet with his brother.
“My brother made a bet with me saying if I scored three touchdowns he’ll get me a tattoo,” Flowers said. “He started this for real, he started it.”
Wide receiver Harrison Wallace III
What he has:
“Everything happens for a reason, whether good or bad” on his right forearm
“Family is everything” on his right bicep
“With God nothing shall be impossible Luke 1:37” on his right upper arm
A heart containing his sister’s initials on his right wrist
Stars on his right arm
His grandmother’s name on his left forearm
“The world is yours” on his left bicep
An Interstate 95 sign, a reference to his downtown, above his left forearm
Two Greek theater masks, one happy and one sad representing “laugh now, cry later” down his left forearm
His 334 area code on his left forearm
His favorite tattoo is his large chest piece with his mother’s birthday across the collarbone, a cross in the middle flanked by a rose and a dove.
“The dove is for all my family members that watch over me,” Wallace said. “The rose is for all the important women in my life.”
Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith
What he has:
“VA” and “757” for his home state of Virginia and his area code on his left forearm
“Tidewater” on his left forearm
“Hope Street” above his left forearm
Praying hands on his upper left arm and shoulder
His mother’s birth date in roman numerals with roses on his left bicep
“Pray for me” on his left bicep
“Humble” on his left tricep
“Respect, Love, Loyalty” across his collarbone
Three faces representing hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil on his right forearm
A traditional Chinese temple above a rose on his inner right forearm
“Forever grateful” on his right forearm
A protest sign with “Black Lives Matter” with a 100 on his right shoulder
A Gothic style letter K, representing his family whose names all start with the letter K on his right shoulder
An eye on his right bicep
“Chosen one” above his right forearm
Letter blocks spelling out RISK, with the S and K blocks at an angle showing C and H, alternatively spelling RICH, representing taking risks to gain riches, on his right tricep
“Be the one” on one calf and “not one of” on the other, a quote from his high school football coach
Wide receiver Dante Cephas
What he has:
“Be here now” on his right forearm
A globe with 808 on his right forearm
A symbol for manifestation on his forearm
“The world is yours” from Cephas’ favorite movie, “Scarface,” on his left shoulder
The names of his mother, father and siblings on both hands
Cephas plans to finish his hands and add more tattoos around the collarbone and neck in the coming years.
Cornerback Johnny Dixon
What he has:
Praying hands in honor of his grandmother on his right shoulder
His mother’s name with a four-leaf clover symbolizing her St. Patrick’s Day birthday on his right bicep
A portrait of the Boondocks characters Huey and Riley Freeman doing a “see no evil, speak no evil” pose on his right calf
A cross with “fear God” on his chest
“God’s child” on the side of his neck
“OTF” standing for “only the family” on his right upper arm
“NLMB,” for “never leave my brothers” on the back of his right arm
Several of Dixon’s tattoos reference his family and his five brothers but his favorite is the word “relentless” in red ink on his right wrist.
Safety Kevin Winston Jr.
What he has:
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase” with the silhouette of a man walking up a staircase surrounded by clouds toward a sun on his left forearm
“The sky is the limit” with stars surrounding on his left bicep
An hourglass with “time waits for no one” on the back of his left forearm
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take,” Proverbs 3:56 with a cross on his left shoulder
“HUMBLE” on the back of his left arm
A lion on the upper right shoulder
Linebacker Keon Wylie
What he has:
“RIP Sandrea” A tribute to a friend that passed due to gun violence on his left bicep
“Keep the faith” with praying hands on his upper arm
The NFL logo on his left forearm
“NLMB,” for “never leave my brothers,” on his upper left arm
“HUMBLE” on the back of his left arm
Linebacker Kobe King
What he has:
Sphinx on his left shoulder and upper arm
“King Kobe” on his left bicep
A burned King of Spades card on top of a green rose on his left forearm
A lion with a crown on top of a clock. The hands of the clock point toward King’s birthday on his left shin
King said he puts a lot of energy and thought into his tattoo designs, drawing inspiration online and from Pinterest to find things that align with his purpose and life. Although he has plans for future tattoos, King did impose a limit to how far he’ll get covered.
“I wanna have the whole left side of my body covered and have my right side be free,” he said.
Safety Zakee Wheatley
What he has:
His mother’s, grandmother’s and siblings’ names on his left forearm
“Love” above the forearm
“Family first”
A football with the words “Golden child” written above it and a young Wheatley with his back turned on his upper left arm and shoulder
“RDS,” Real Deal Slime supporter on his bicep
“I’m not perfect but I’ll always be real” on his bicep
Two initials for friends who passed away on left and right arm
His nickname down the back of his calf
A lion on his shin
A red cardinal on his shin
Wide Receivers Coach Marques Hagans
What he has:
“No easy way out” on his back
Slot machine with 777 with Jackpot, a reference to his youngest son Jackson
“187” on his hand representing a former player’s highway exit to his house
Hagan’s back tattoo, “no easy way out,” is a reference to “Rocky IV.”
“That’s something that’s really important to me,” Hagan said. “There’s no shortcuts in life. That came from ‘Rocky IV’ when he fought the Russian and they played that song when his wife told him he had no chance to win.”
Offensive tackle Drew Shelton
What he has:
“King” with a crown on his forearm for his middle name
A clock surrounded by roses on his forearm. On the top of the clock is is sister’s birthday in Roman numerals with the clock hands pointing to her time of birth
“II of III” representing his family
