Blue White Illustrated

P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> Pitts made his mark in Lion history with 4:08 remaining in the famous "Snow Bowl" game against Michigan at Beaver Stadium. After a Michigan touchdown six minutes into the fourth quarter, Penn State was hold- ing a 20-17 lead when it gained pos- session at its own 34-yard line following a Wolverine punt. Pitts, who had been the tailback most of the second half, suddenly burst past the Michigan defenders and sped down- field until tackled at Michigan's 8- yard line. Four plays later from the Wolverines' 2, Penn State faked a field goal, with freshman holder Joe Nas- tasi running for the touchdown that clinched the victory. In his final game at Beaver Stadium, "Slash" had a ca- reer high 164 yards on 17 carries and 225 all-purpose yards. He was later named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. "What made them special was these guys were so unselfish," Ganter said. "They rooted for each other and were really close. I was in the room every day with those guys for years and there was never anybody sulking or anybody upset that the other guy had the ball more or who was start- ing. A lot of that was Ki-Jana. He was the star of the three and he was so supportive of the other two. There was great chemistry, not just with those three but the entire team at that time." Twenty-five years later, Carter is a business entrepreneur living in Sun- rise, Fa.; Archie is semi-retired and lives in suburban Nashville, while Pitts is in medical device sales in Lan- caster, Pa. The college football culture and Penn State's offensive system have changed since the trio was on cam- pus, and their situation was different than the one now facing the four tal- ented young 2019 running backs who are competing for playing time. Carter, Archie and Pitts have a special place among Penn State running backs. Perhaps, all four of the current crop will, too. ■ T hree of football fans' favorite tradi- tions are about to disappear into the trash dump of history: souvenir tick- ets, game day programs and the framing of national magazine covers. For more than a century, these items gave avid followers of certain teams a way to show their fidelity, and maybe brag about it, too. Nowadays, things are changing all over the country, and it's impossible to know what each college or professional team is doing with tickets and programs. We do know that a num- ber of national sports-oriented maga- zines have cut back on impromptu street sales, relying primarily on subscribers. If fans wanted to save the cover of Sports Illustrated featuring their favorite team and they lived hundreds of miles away, they could walk down to their favorite newsstand and buy a copy. Not only are newsstands disappearing but the shelves at the Walmarts, grocery stores and pharmacies are also unlikely to have a copy anymore. Think about that. No more covers of Sports Illustrated with a modern-day version of a Gregg Garrity celebrating his extraordinary touchdown reception that helped Penn State beat Georgia for its first national championship in the 1983 Sugar Bowl. Thankfully, that also means no more Alabama goal line stands against Penn State like the one that ruined one of the Nittany Lions' greatest regular seasons and won the Crimson Tide the national title in 1978. Unfortunately for Penn State fans, you can still see that one on display in gi- gantic size at the Bear Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. What about game day programs? For the first time since the early 1900s, Penn State is not publishing its game day Beaver Stadium Pictorial this season, and, ostensibly, forevermore. Again, many other colleges have already done it or are planning to do so and, perhaps, NFL teams as well. The demand for Penn State game day programs has dissipated over the years, and their cost has risen. If all a fan wants is the uniform numbers of the players, including the visitors, he or she can get it for free off the internet or the student newspaper. Penn State has a better idea. Instead of game day programs, the university has produced a special 140-page version of the traditional thick yearbook that also functions as a media guide and recruit- ing tool. This new product, basically a preseason magazine, is called the 2019 Penn State Football Yearbook and is printed on higher-grade slick paper. The athletic department began selling the "official" yearbook at the opening home game Labor Day weekend and will continue sales throughout the entire season. For Beaver Stadium patrons who want more than just names and uniform numbers on game day, Penn State is sell- ing a new tri-fold brochure for $2, pri- marily at designated concession stands and the stadium store trailers along Curtin Road. The brochure is printed on glossy paper and has a complete roster of both teams, along with the lineups, depth charts, updated statistics, Big Ten schedules and miscellaneous other in- formation. "This is similar to the tri-fold rosters we have provided at hockey, men's bas- Sports memorabilia falls prey to technology's relentless march

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