Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1528325
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 4 6 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State was in the midst of its worst stretch of the Joe Pa- terno coaching era when Guido D'Elia, the program's director of brand- ing and communications, hatched a plan to re-energize disheartened fans. D'Elia wanted Beaver Stadium's stu- dent section, more than 20,000 strong, to wear white T-shirts for the Nittany Lions' game against Purdue on Oct. 9, 2004. It was to be a show of pride and solidarity in the face of the team's on- going struggles, which began with a 5-7 finish in 2000 and continued with los- ing records in two of the three seasons that followed. Social media was in its infancy at the time, so D'Elia's team of student interns had to get the word out by leaving flyers on parked cars, visiting classrooms and lecture halls, and shouting at crowds with bullhorns as students scurried around campus between classes. The publicity campaign was low-tech, but it worked beautifully. When the ninth-ranked Boilermakers visited on Oct. 9, the student section was a solid wall of white. The stadium was also much louder than it had been for the team's ear- lier home games, even with Penn State sporting a 2-3 record and having lost con- secutive road clashes with Wisconsin and Minnesota leading up to Purdue's appear- ance in State College. The Lions lost to the Boilers, too, 20- 13. Kyle Orton threw for 275 yards, and future PSU wide receivers coach Tay- lor Stubblefield caught 7 passes for 63 yards, including a 40-yarder in the third quarter that would turn out to be the game-winner. And yet, there was a different feel- ing in the air on game day. Maybe this White Out idea had some merit. A New Visitor While boasting one of the biggest sta- diums in the world, Penn State had been known over the years for its sedate atmo- sphere. The Nittany Lions had a devoted fan following, but the game-day crowds WHITE NOISE Twenty years ago, PSU launched one of its greatest — and loudest — football traditions M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Penn State has been holding White Outs since 2004 when it urged students to dress in white for a matchup against ninth-ranked Purdue. Full-stadium White Outs began two years later, and except for the COVID season in 2020, the spectacle has been a highlight of every Penn State campaign. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL