Penn State Sports Magazine
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O C T O B E R 2 0 2 4 11 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M [the Misitanos'] generous gift." The west side of the stadium will include the welcome center, expanded concourses with open views of the field and mod- ern amenities, private luxury suites, loge boxes and two club seat areas with lounge access. Anthony Misitano is a Penn State alum and the CEO of PAM Health, based in Enola, Pa. He and his wife, Catherine, and daughter Brittany have been key Penn State supporters, having made do- nations to the Football Excellence Fund while also endowing scholarships for field hockey, women's ice hockey and women's basketball. "We are so very grateful to the Misi- tano family and PAM Health for their generous gift to the Beaver Stadium Re- vitalization project," Penn State athlet- ics director Patrick Kraft said in a pre- pared statement. "The Misitano family has a long history with Penn State Ath- letics and has been unbelievably sup- portive of a number of sports programs, and this tremendous Founders Gift is another example of their devotion to Penn State." The Penn State board of trustees ap- proved the massive renovation plan ear- lier this year. Some of the improvements, such as winterization work, new conces- sions stands and escalators, video and ribbon boards, and improved circulation for fans, are either already complete or will be finished later this year. During an Aug. 29 appearance on "The Penn State Coaches Show," Kraft said there were eight escalators in prog- ress — two up, two down on the north- east and southeast sides of the stadium. While the escalators are expected to speed the flow of foot traffic into the stadium, the bigger purpose is to help with egress. They aren't fully installed and functional yet, but Kraft said Penn State is hoping to have them running in time for the Nittany Lions' Big Ten opener against Illinois on Sept. 28. On the inside of the stadium, fans will notice the new ribbon scoreboards sur- rounding the Jumbotron above the south upper deck. Envisioned as a way to gen- erate advertising revenue for Penn State, the ribbons are expected to be functional this season, and they will have the added benefit of making the stadium seem more imposing from the inside. "I'm trying to make the building as circular as possible, so it keeps the sound in and makes it even louder," Kraft said. Kraft noted that the renovation proj- ect is expected to make the stadium more attractive as a venue for events other than football games. He said the current configuration has cost Penn State opportunities to host lucrative events. PSU fans have seen a preview of what the university is planning to do with Beaver Stadium. The university released several renderings of the re- vamped facility in May after the trust- ees approved the remainder of the funding for the project, which is slated for completion in 2027. The artwork depicts a dramatically different exterior, but as of early Sep- tember, no additional renderings had been released. Kraft said that's because many of the design details are still being worked out. "Why are we not seeing more ren- derings out there? First off, we are not ready," he said. "I have to have the an- swers to the questions when we put that out there. When I feel we're in a perfect spot and ready to go, then we'll start rolling them out. And you're going to start seeing them more and more. "But with a building that big, you move one thing here, it impacts every- thing over here. The flow and how we're getting people in and out of the build- ing, it's so intricate. It's just a different beast." ■ Nate Bauer contributed to this report. Franklin Prefers Only One White Out Each Season Ever since Penn State held its first White Out in 2004, a big part of the event's appeal has been its infrequency. The Nittany Lions have held only one White Out per season, resisting the temptation to try recreating the magic for additional home games. This year's White Out game will be Nov. 9 when new Big Ten member Washington makes its first visit to Beaver Stadium. The Huskies were the choice because Penn State prefers to play its White Out games at night, and its clash with Ohio State on Nov. 2 is expected to kick off at noon. The decision to feature Washington would seem to take care of any White Out-related scheduling questions until 2025, but this year is fundamentally different from seasons past in that there is a pos- sibility Penn State will be playing an additional home game after the regular season has concluded. That possibility has raised an intriguing question: Could Penn State stage two White Outs in the same season? Does the potential to host a College Football Playoff game in December change the calculus? To hear coach James Franklin tell it, the answer may depend on how broadly one defines the phrase. "It may be a White Out and we had nothing to do with it being a White Out; it may be a weather white out," Franklin joked at Big Ten Media Days in July. "I will say this: It's something that me and [athletics director Patrick Kraft] really haven't talked about up to this point, but we feel very strongly that there should be one White Out a year." Franklin noted that Penn State has been able to "create some really cool environments" using other themes, like the Stripe Out, in which the stadium sections appear in alternating bands of blue and white, and the Generations of Greatness game featuring throwback uniforms. Ultimately, though, the stadium's atmosphere is dictated by the fans. There would be nothing stopping ticket holders from organizing an informal White Out for a playoff game, and Franklin is sup- portive of any effort to enhance the Nittany Lions' home field advantage. "I think it's up for discussion with myself, Pat, and others to say, 'Hey, we only do one White Out a year, but if we would have a home playoff game, is that something to discuss?' This is a different model in college football, and we want to do everything we possibly can to put us in the best posi- tion to be successful," Franklin said. "If that gives us a little bit of extra juice in between Pat Kraft and Mother Nature, we may have one of the biggest White Outs we've ever had." — Greg Pickel