Aug. 15, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Add ESPN The Magazine to the list of national media that agree with what Penn State football fans already knew - the Nittany Lions' student section is the nation's best.
In the magazine's August 25 issue, the loud and proud Penn State student section dominated the categories the publication ranked to earn distinction as the nation's Best Overall student section. The Nittany Lions' enthusiastic and passionate fanatics also earned the No. 1 ranking for Most Fun, No. 2 for Most Creative and No. 4 for Loudest student sections in the nation.
During the 2005 season, ESPN College Gameday declared the Penn State student section the nation's best.
Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN/ABC college football analyst and a member of the College Gameday crew, was effusive in his comments about the Nittany Lions' student section in the ESPN The Magazine story.
"The coordination is off the charts," he said. "I know the Cameron Crazies get a lot of pub. But, what's that, a thousand kids? At Penn State we're talking about 20 times that, all on the same page for every situation on the field. That's nuts.
"They raise the bar every year," added Herbstreit, who has witnessed several games in Beaver Stadium the past three years. "Between the White Out and the music they pump in, it's a festival atmosphere."
"If you aren't impressed with the White Out, you're probably one of those people who think the moon landing was faked," cracked ESPN's Beano Cook, a noted college football historian, in the story.
More than 21,000 Penn State students have season football tickets, the largest full season student section nationwide in college sports. The enthusiasm for Penn State football saw all 21,000-plus student season tickets sell out in a record 59 minutes in 2007, prompting the creation of a student ticket week this past June. More than 15,000 student season tickets for freshmen, sophomores and juniors sold out in approximately three minutes during each sale.
During the 2004 season, Penn State students began wearing white, leading to an all-stadium White Out for the Nittany Lions' clash with Notre Dame last season, and launching copycat sections of solid blocks of team colors at schools across the nation.
More than 93,000 season tickets have been sold for the upcoming season in Beaver Stadium, the nation's largest facility with a capacity of 107,282. In his 43rd season as head coach, Joe Paterno's squad returns 35 letterwinners and 16 starters for the 2008 season. Penn State has won 31 of its last 40 games, tied for the nation's eighth-best winning percentage over that span.
Penn State Football Eve will launch the season on Friday, Aug. 29, with activities starting at 6:00 p.m. outside Beaver Stadium. The program inside the stadium starts at 7:45 p.m. featuring the Blue Band, cheerleaders, dance team and videos. The seniors will be introduced and after Coach Paterno's address to the crowd, a new stadium video will be unveiled. The event and parking are free.
The Nittany Lions open their 122nd season on Aug. 30, hosting Coastal Carolina at 12:00 p.m. The contest will air on the Big Ten Network, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com, the official website of Penn State Athletics.