here has been some consternation
among Penn State's football popu-
lace this season with the alteration
of one more tradition and the elimina-
tion of another carried over from the Joe
Paterno coaching era.
It was bad enough for many fans in
2012 when names were added to the
plain blue and white jerseys that set
Penn State apart from its peers.
Now, it's the change in the unloading
of the legendary blue buses that trans-
port the team to Beaver Stadium for
home games nearly three hours before
the kickoff.
No longer do the buses stop on Curtin
Road in front of the tunnel leading to the
dressing room, with the starting quar-
terback walking off first just ahead of
the head coach. Now, the buses stop a
half block away, near the student gate,
where students who have camped out
overnight for days are lined up to get the
best seats when the gates officially open
L O U P R A T O
|
A break with tradition? It happens all the time
T
BURNING
FOR U.
In the 1940s and '50s, mem-
bers of Penn State's "hat societies" would
greet players as they entered New Beaver
Field. In 1914, fans lit a bonfire after a 13-13 tie
with Harvard, which was considered the best
team in the country. Photos courtesy of the
Paterno Pattee Library Archives
