Penn State

“I pray that this game will be a training ground for what the definition of manhood is all about.  That we would compete with fierce intensity with the honors, the gifts, and the talents that you have given us.” – Ron Brown, Nebraska Assistant Coach – Running Backs, Pregame Prayer

And it was.

Happy Valley, a namesake bestowed upon one of the nation’s most legendary institutions over 50 years ago, was Not-So-Happy Valley after the week of intense controversy, scrutiny and pressure amidst the Jerry Sandusky allegations and investigations.  Shock and deep dismay spread across the valley under Nittany Mountain and under the eye of the nonstop media coverage.  Head Coach Joe Paterno fired.  University President Graham Spanier fired.  Assistant Coach Mike McQueary on administrative leave.  Riots on Wednesday, and the pep rally cancelled on Friday. 

The whole world was watching – literally – as a team of young men took the field Saturday to restore honor and integrity to the football team, the institution, and the town shrouded in disbelief.  What incredible pressure to put on an already dismantled team in shock after losing their coach, the man who inspired many of them to play at Penn State.

For the Huskers, this game carried significant importance long before the Sandusky charges, the loss to Northwestern, or dominance of Penn State in the B1G this season.  Two legendary football programs with a storied history and legendary traditions meeting for their inaugural B1G match up.  Fans traveling back to State College for the first time since the massive loss to the Lions in 2002.  A chance to create football history.

In light of this week’s turn of events, I knew for sure this week that I was becoming a part of football and national history when I boarded my flight out of O’Hare to Philadelphia and then to State College on Friday morning.  Heeding advice, concerns and warnings, the feeling was uneasy this week instead of the normal jubilation and excitement I feel when I hit the road.  “Be careful” was the response I received to my out of office notification at work, and I had countless Facebook and text messages sharing the same sentiment.  In 11 weeks of football this season, I have not cared less about the outcome of the game.  Instead, I found myself wanting it to be a platform that helped to restore honor to our opponent whether we won or lost.

Arriving at State College Airport

I managed to put my uneasiness aside when my high school friends, Kathleen and James, and their friends, Kristin and Joe, picked me up from University Park Airport in State College.  The airport reminded me of my Wyoming trip all over again!!!  Gotta love small airports. J  They had traveled from LA on Wednesday to Pittsburg before driving to State College on Friday morning to gather for the weekend we have been planning for months.  We drove through town and passed Beaver Stadium – surreal – before making our way through the hills of the Valley to our weekend home in Boalsburg.  As night began to fall, my half sister, Amy, arrived after her flight from Raleigh to Harrisburg and drive into town.  Kathleen’s brother, Dave, and his wife, Kelly, and their two friends, Amanda and Blake, all from Washington, D.C., then joined us at our “home” that we rented for the weekend.

And, what a home it was!  Nestled on the corner of a winding road adjacent to stables and down the road from a local winery, the views of Nittany Mountain over their expansive yard were breathtaking.  This is why people live in the country!  The 3-story house with plenty of room for our party of 10 was absolutely lovely, and we immediately found ourselves nestling in for a night at home to prepare for the long day on Saturday.  We all claimed our rooms for the weekend, and Amy and I were happy to end up in the daughter’s room upstairs.  It was amazing to us that this family truly opened their home to us, and we learned over the weekend that weekend rentals are a popular lodging option for the small town of State College.  We could not have been happier with our decision to stay all together!

Amy and my room for the weekend

Kristin and Joe's room for the weekend

Amanda and Blake's room for the weekend

James working in the living room before the whole crew arrived

We ordered pizza from Angelo’s Pizzeria, a 4 ½ star join about a mile away, and the LA crew hit the local grocery store to stock up for the weekend.  Full and happy, I found myself fast friends with our crew.  Within no time, we found ourselves playing games including my new personal favorite, “Famous,”  similar to charades.  We all wrote down the names of 3 famous people and put them in a bowl.  We split into two teams and played 3 rounds, each one becoming more entertaining as we moved from descriptions to one word to only acting to help our team guess the name of the celebrities.  As most good house parties go, a dance party ensued led by Kathleen’s infamous animal impression moves, and we found ourselves laughing until after midnight when we decided to turn in for the night.

Saturday morning came early, as I woke up at 6:00 to ensure I had a head start on the long day.  Joe’s uncle invited us to attend his tailgate, and we were pumped to get there plenty early to soak it all in.  Decked out in our Husker and Lions gear, we loaded up two cars and made the 45-minute drive a couple miles to the stadium. 

Apparently, it is like this every week, but the traffic directors were pros!!!  Each parking zone is color coded, so they sort traffic lanes based on parking zones for maximum efficiency; my kind of traffic directors!  We parked about a mile from our tailgate and walked around the stadium to the West side near the soccer fields.

On the way, we were both pleased and surprised at the welcome we received from the Penn State fans.  In 2003, my family traveled to the game and were met with an awful reception that left more than a bad taste in their mouths.  With the controversy of the week, I did not know what to expect, so I expected the worst.  I was thrilled that my expectations proved unnecessary, as we were treated with grace, respect, and hospitality only rivaled by the experience Amy and I had at Virginia Tech in 2008.  That theme carried strong throughout the day, and I was humbled by how sincerely these fans wanted to restore proper tradition to their fallen University.

The tailgate was incredible:  spreads of food, drink and hundreds of jello shots, all right next to the stadium!  We were welcomed with open arms and thanked for making the journey from all over the country to their town.  I quickly learned why the name Happy Valley came to be by watching the communities of friends gather and be merry.  The weather was incredible; felt like an early October fall game with the sun and breeze!  A perfect day for football.  Bookmarks on child abuse were distributed, and it was clear that the Penn State fans were coming out bonding together against the terrible abuse endured by members of their community.  ESPN reports came in indicating that fans were protesting the game, but that wasn’t the case at all.  If anything, the fans were in stronger support than ever before.

Amy and I trekked around the South end of Beaver Stadium and snapped a quick photo in front of the Joe Paterno statue before heading to our seats.  Unfortunately, our photographer was not as excited to capture the moment as we were, so the photo came off a bit quick! 

Kickoff drew near, and we followed the 106,000+ fans up the ramps to our seats on the upper deck near the 40 yard line on the East side.  As the 2^nd largest stadium in the country, it was surely the most highly secured one I had ever seen given the significance of the day.  Security guards, police, and snipers atop the press boxes reminded us of the weight of the game.  It was also apparent that many Nebraska fans followed the advice of Tom Osborne who warned not to wear red earlier in the week.  In fact, our neighbors were 2 Husker fans who wore neutral colors.  The Penn State fans came out strong in blue to support the cause against child abuse, for which the stadium raised over $22,000 in donations throughout the day.  JoePa posters adorned the fences, and there was a clear silence in the crowd as the students entered the field in Penn State’s first game without Joe Paterno as head coach.

Amy and I had reached the top of the stairs just as both teams met at the center of the field for Ron Brown’s pregame prayer.  A silence hushed the crowd as we all paid our respects to the victims and the moving tribute by Nebraska’s Assistant Coach.  Brown was the perfect man to start the journey of healing on the field as one of Nebraska’s most inspirational and legendary coaches, and the symbolism of both teams joining together reminded all present of the real importance of the day.  The crowd erupted in applause as the teams walked to their sidelines and prepared one of the hardest fought games I have ever witnessed.

The next 60 minutes of football were nothing but heart.  Evenly matched from my vantage point, the young men shouldered the burden of the game’s attention with great maturity.  We made some mistakes, yes, and so did Penn State.  The last quarter of the game came down to the wire, and I thought for sure they would come back to win.  The student section cheered loudly, but I was reminded yet again that There is No Place Like Nebraska – at least when it comes to fan noise! 

I was proud of our team.  I was proud of Penn State’s team.  I was proud to be a part of the historic game, and I was proud that our win restored our hopes of a bowl game and a potential shot at the B1G Championship game in two weeks.

As we made our way across the North end of the stadium to snap a few photos on the way out, we were congratulated and thanked by nearly every fan that we crossed.  I was humbled beyond belief.  These people were so sincere, so kind.  I was more than impressed and relieved.

We returned to our tailgate to continue the party and were greeted with the most impressive tailgate spread I have ever seen:  lasagna, fresh made pizzas, chili, mac & cheese and more!  We stayed awhile and thanked our incredible hosts before we made our way back to the Orange Lot to our car.  Again, we received more gracious appreciation and congratulations on the way.  What a classy group of people.  Penn State should be VERY proud.

Our crew returned home to relax and rest up after the long game day where all but Joe, Kristin, Amy and I would stay for the rest of the night.  The four of us decided to check out downtown and headed to College Avenue, the famous drag alongside campus housing restaurants, bars, and shops galore.  Dinner at Allen Street Grill (www.allenstreetgrill.com) was an incredible way to reflect on the day and mingle with the locals.  In a matter of minutes, Kristin had a drink bought for her, and I received two marriage proposals on the way out; these folks really made us feel welcome!  The vegetarian chili was delicious and was exactly how I make mine at home, and Amy loved her crab bisque.  By the end of dinner, it was clear that we were wiped out and not going to attempt the college bar scene after all.  One peek at the bar lines at over 3 blocks long each confirmed our decision to call it a night.

On the way back to our rental, we were driving past campus and decided to make a detour to visit the home of Joe Paterno, a place now almost as famous as the Coach himself after the last 4 days’ news cycle.  Having seen fans walking right up to his front door, we thought we might get close and check it out.  Joe drove us up to the police barricade just a couple of doors down from his home blocking traffic, and Kristin, Amy and I walked right up to JoePa’s home without anyone so much as stopping us.  Simple signs, roses, and apples stood out in the cloak of darkness commemorating the beloved coach, teacher and man now permanently scarred.

In this modest home just blocks from the University, Paterno has walked to campus the last 50+ years from this spot, and we were now standing on his front sidewalk.  Even more surreal than seeing Beaver Stadium for the first time, we realized at that moment that we were truly a part of history, perhaps of destiny, in this moment and this weekend.  Was it destiny that Nebraska played Penn State after the week of controversy?  Bo has certainly found himself in more than his fair share of controversial games and situations as he pointed out in the post-game press conference.  Was it destiny that Nebraska’s inaugural B1G season and my personal journey to follow the Huskers left me on Coach Paterno’s doorstep in the midst of the National attention?  I could not help but reflect on how serendipitous this entire season has been at that moment.

We headed back home to find only James still awake watching Oregon’s dominating win over Stanford, something I expected to happen.  We turned in for the night, more than pleased with the events and outcome of the day.

On Sunday morning, we slept in a bit, tidied up our home, and wrote our host “family” notes of sincere appreciation for sharing their beautiful home with us for the weekend.  The D.C. crew left early to drive back home, so the original six remained.  We headed back into town for lunch and followed a recommendation from the locals for lunch at The Deli, an awesome little pub with great sandwiches just far enough away from our parking spot that we enjoyed a nice jaunt across downtown.  Full and happy, Amy and I said goodbye to the LA crew who hit the road back to Pittsburg to catch their flight home.

The Deli, our lunch spot across from the University Bookstore

Kathleen in front of the incredible mural on the side of the University Bookstore

Amy and I had a few hours left to spare, so we made our way to campus to take in the beauty of one of the oldest institutions in the country.  It was like Norman Rockwell paintings come to life. 

We passed by Old Main, the oldest and original building on campus where the students held a candlelight vigil in honor of the victims on Friday night.  Candles still burned on the pavement in front of the historic steps, and the smell of burning wax surrounded us.  It was a reminder of the significance of the weekend still burning strong.

One of the original Land Grant Universities, similar to Nebraska, Penn State has built a strong Agriculture College now famous for its ice cream shop and the nation's largest creamery, Berkey Creamery (http://creamery.psu.edu/).  With over 100 different flavors throughout the year including famous tributes such as the “Peachy Paterno,” this spot was one of the go-to places according to the locals.  And, it did not disappoint!  With one size scoops larger than I’ve ever seen, the line was out the door.  A couple of the guys in line in front of us even brought their own coolers to stock up for their ice cream party, an idea I am totally stealing at some point.  I ordered the Apple Cobbler Crunch, a cinnamon flavored ice cream with pie pieces and apple sauce swirl; that was after I sampled the Pumpkin Pie, of course, which actually tasted like a pumkin pie.  Amy ordered the Strawberry - classic - and, it did not dissappoint.   

Amy gave me a ride back to the University Park  Airport in State College where I stayed for a few hours before boarding my flight to Philadelphia. 

Unfortunately, we hung out in the air for almost an hour, and I missed my connecting flight back to Chicago.  Such is the life of a traveler!  So, as I write this blog from the Philadelphia Airport, I said goodbye to Amy until this Friday when we meet again in Ann Arbor at the Big House, the largest college stadium in the country.  #16 Nebraska versus #17 Michigan:  another game for the ages.  Will be a historic way to finish my tour before our last game at home against Iowa the day after Thanksgiving.

I continue to reflect upon Ron Brown’s prayer and hope for the athletes who rose to the occasion in monumental fashion.  Indeed, these boys became men in front of over 100,000 fans in State College and in front of the entire country.  I could not be more proud to be a Cornhusker and look forward to my visit to State College again in two years!