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Penn State fans show their true colors

As a season ticket holder since 1971, I’ve watched more than 300 games at Beaver Stadium — but I’ve never been prouder of our fans than the day of the recent playoff game with SMU. Four days before Christmas in frigid conditions, 106,000 fans showed up wearing white when many thought the stadium might be half full. Better yet, those of us in attendance were totally focused and dramatically influenced the game outcome. Most of us never sat down and hung around to sing the alma mater when the game ended. The day the sanctions were announced in 2012, I was fearful the Nittany ...

Chiefs’ success is not traced to luck

Labeling a 13-1 NFL team as lucky seems a bit partisan. Through Week 15, Kansas City had been triumphant in an NFL-record 15 consecutive games that were decided by one score, including a 19-17 last-second heartstopper over the Los Angeles Chargers in which the winning field goal first bounced off the left upright. Advancing a popular theme, AthlonSports.com’s Richie Whitt wrote, “It’s been a season accented with luck for the Chiefs, from Week 1’s escape over the Baltimore Ravens by a toenail to Black Friday’s win when the Las Vegas Raiders fumbled away a chance at a ...

Football characters were full of quips

In last month’s column, some of baseball’s funniest and most colorful characters were explored. It’s time to give equal billing to a handful of football’s wild, witty, and wonderful characters. Start with a former Pittsburgh Steeler (1961 and 1962), Pro Bowl defensive lineman Gene Lipscomb. He wasn’t called “Big Daddy” for nothing — he went 6-foot-6, and he made scales groan under his 284 pounds. This was back in an era when players anywhere near 300 pounds were pretty rare. One-time Baltimore teammate Raymond Berry said, “He was quick with great upper body ...

Sportsmanship shouldn’t be compromised

First, as a traditionalist, I was originally skeptical about the 2024 Big Ten conference additions. However, I actually like it. Two of Penn State’s most exciting games and matchups over the last several years have been against USC — the 2018 Rose Bowl and the 2024 game at the LA Coliseum. In addition, playing games in Southern California gives the large Penn State fan base there (including me) a more frequent opportunity to see a game (and tailgate). It also gives Pennsylvanians and PSU fans a nice opportunity to travel someplace warm and fun, other than to another ...

’86 title game stirs fond memories

I just finished reading Neil Rudel’s point-counterpoint column on Penn State’s 1986 national championship win over Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. I, too, had the pleasure of being in attendance and agree it is my number one memory. I took my father to the game. Being from Pittsburgh, it was only his second Penn State game and would be our last game attended together. I will remember the trip and game always. I remember walking through the parking lot on the way to the stadium prior to the game to see all the T-shirt vendors walking around selling T-shirts that said “Miami ...

ACC, Big 12 worried about their lot in the CFP world

By Aaron Beard The Associated Press Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips wants clarity on how two-loss Miami sits behind three-loss Alabama in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark believes his league’s champion deserves a first-round bye instead of a Group of Five team. And while Mountain West Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez’s league is positioned to get in, there’s concern about any future with bigger leagues getting designated numbers of bids. Those scenarios illustrate how, as the Big Ten and Southeastern ...