From the outside, Beaver Stadium isn’t the most visually appealing sports facility. That may be an understatement. Some have described it as looking like a giant erector set.
Inside, however, is where it has become a special place to many. With regards to the few decades that I’ve attended games there, it’s below-freezing temperatures — sitting in them on the cold steel bleachers and watching Penn State stop
a two-point conversion to beat Notre Dame in 1987. It’s 63-14 — the score of the then No. 1 Nittany Lions’ 1994 win over Ohio State. It’s miracles happening — as in Adam Taliaferro walking onto the Beaver Stadium eld in 2001, nearly a year after he suffered a spinal-cord injury. It’s 110,753 — the attendance for the 2002 game against Nebraska (still a stadium record). It’s White Outs — take your pick, but the student one against Ohio State in 2005 and the all-stadium one against Notre Dame in 2008 stand out. It’s four overtimes — which is how long it took before the Lions, a little more than a year after being hammered by NCAA sanctions, defeated the undefeated Michigan Wolverines.
Obviously, there are so many more I or anyone who has attended games there could add to that list.
Now, there is much discussion about the future of Beaver Stadium, and you can read about some of the talk in Frank Bodani’s story, “One Hell of a Stadium.” Some of the dialogue includes whether or not Beaver Stadium even has a future, as building a new stadium has been considered a possibility. The more likely result, however, will be some sort of renovation.
Many of the ideas of what a new Beaver Stadium could have include more premium-type seating, upgrades in concessions,
and even beer for sale. Whatever is decided, the hope is that Penn State seriously considers everything fans and supporters have told them either at town hall meetings or surveys. Unfortunately, fans, not just here but everywhere, can be taken for granted because they have such a strong love for their teams.
Regardless of what “improvements” are made, for me and I suspect many others, it’s what happens on that grass eld that creates the most-lasting impressions. From hearing the tap, tap, tap of the drums of the Blue Band as it takes the eld before the game to watching how the Nittany Lions fare against whomever they’re playing, those are the memories you take home with you.
