I consider the wearing and displaying of your team colors a very important part of the football experience.  As a child I lived by a very strict dress code on football weekends, down to the undergarments. I’m still pretty fanatical about it, but have mellowed a bit not much, okay, not at all.  It’s difficult to unlearn superstitions and it’s important to educate your fellow fans.  Mr. Hoover told a great story about one away game he was at out in Iowa City.  He was at the game with his great and good friend, Audrey.  The morning of the game he was downstairs at the hotel waiting for her to come down.  When she did appear she was dressed to the 9s in a stunning outfit – of Gold and Black.  He sent her straight back upstairs to change into “I don’t care; anything!” and with the strict instructions that in the future she was to ask him the colors of the opposing team before the day of the game.

The Cowbell.  My father's signature noisemaker was the cowbell.  He took it to all the games.  It had been through a lot.  At one game the clapper flew off and landed in the soda of a neighboring fan; he returned it.  Then, in 1983, PSU played Brown University.  Apart from the basic novelty of playing an Ivy League team (and Joe Paterno's alma mater), it was a miserable day.  The weather was horrible and the game was uninspiring, so there was not a lot of bell ringing.  Dad had stored the bell under his seat, and left it there.  So, for Christmas that year we bought him a new one (yes, you can buy a real cowbell in central Pennsylvania) which is the bell we ring today.

Uncle Al's Burnt Keilbasa.  Uncle Al is actually my dad, but that’s what they called him at the tailgate, and burnt is what they called the grilled Kielbasa.

My early childhood memories of PSU tailgating are mainly (apart from the occasional games that I got to go to) remembering my dad getting ready for the game and leaving Mom & me a small sample of whatever he had prepared to take to the tailgate that week.  Almost all games started at 1pm back then (before Beaver Stadium had lights), and Dad would usually leave around 8 – 9am.  So Mom and I were often still in bed.  But you could smell the delicious odors wafting from the kitchen.  Dad would gather his gear and shout from the doorway “Who’s gonna win?” and we’d yell back, “Penn State!”  Dad would alternate what he took to the tailgate, but one week he took Kielbasa that he had grilled, and it was a big hit!  The next game he took barbecue chicken and, as legend has it, Mr. Hoover cornered him at the tailgate and said “you are to never bring anything other than Kielbasa”.  And he never did.  Check out our Recipe page!

Roary! and don't forget Little Bear (Elbie) - Our most faithful tailgating buddies - they get there early, and they stay late!

Roary has sort of become our tailgate mascot.  He's on the "logo" for the website.  We (mostly I) have a penchant for lion (and other Penn Statey) stuffed animals and we're amassing quite a colllection.

The Shrine

The Chipmunk

Wine Tastings - Kent State (2003), South Florida (2005), YSU (2006)

British Pub - Iowa (2004), Michigan (2006), ND (2007)

Australian Pub - Michigan State (2008)

Oktoberfest - Minnesota (2003, 2005), UCF (2004), Northwestern (2006), Iowa (2007), Illinois (2008)

Fiesta! Tailgate - Temple (2003), Akron (2004), Cincinnati (2005), Wisconsin (2007)

Hey Football!  Football Italiano:   Indiana (2003); Michigan State (2004, 2006)

Other favorites:

Following Hemmingway

70's Retro

Tour of the Mediterranean

Pro Lions

Retro Diner

Tour of Pennsylvania

Homecoming for the Holidays!

Alma Mater

For the glory of Old State, For her Founders strong and great, for the future that we wait, Raise the song, raise the song.

Sing our love and loyalty, Sing our hopes that, bright and free, Rest, O Mother dear with thee; All with thee; all with thee.

When we stood at (boyhood's) childhood's gate, Shapeless in the hands of Fate, thou didst mould us, dear old State, (Into Men) Dear old State, (into Men) dear old State.

May no act of ours bring shame To one heart that loves thy name; May our lives but swell thy fame, Dear old State, dear old State.


Victory

Come now, classmen, let us sing; Loyally support the team, we're here today with our colors gay.  Ready to win the fray. Whether it be Pitt or Penn, Harvard or Cornell, Play the game every man And we will win again.
 
Chorus (played by Blue Band during pre-game)
Fight, fight, fight, for the blue and white, Victory will our slogan be, Dear Alma Mater, Fairest of all, Thy loyal sons will obey thy call to fight, fight, fight, with all their might, ever the goal to gain; Into the game for Penn State's fame Fight on to victor- (WE ARE PENN STATE!)  Fight on to victory!


The Nittany Lion

Every college has a legend; Passed on from year to year; To which they pledge allegiance, and always cherish dear. But of all the honored idols, there's but one that stands the test. It's the Stately Nittany Lion, The symbol of our best.

Chorus
Hail to the Lion; Loyal and true. Hail, Alma Mater, with your white and blue; Penn State forever; Molder of men. Fight for her honor (Fight!) and victory again.

There's old Pittsburgh with its Panther; And Penn her Red and Blue; Dartmouth with its Indian; And Yale her Bull Dog too; There's old Princeton with its Tiger; And Cornell with its Bear; But speaking now of victory; We'll get the Lion's share.

Repeat Chorus

Indiana has its Hoosiers; Purdue its Gold and Black; The Wildcats of Northwestern; and Spartans on attack; Ohio State with its Buckeyes; Up north the Wolverines; but the mighty Nittany Lions, the best they've ever seen.

Repeat Chorus

There was also a verse in the 1980s about teams like Alabama.  I never learned the words and I haven't been able to find them anywhere.

Fight on State
(played after every score)

Fight on State, Fight on State, Strike your gait, and win; Victory we predict for thee, We're ever true to you, dear old White and Blue.  Onward State, Onward State, Roar, Lions, roar; We'll hit that line, roll up the score, fight on to victory ever more, Fight on, on, on, on, on, Fight on, on, Penn State!