PASADENA, Calif. – As part of No. 11 Penn State's Rose Bowl trip, the Nittany Lions spent Wednesday afternoon at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. Penn Staters from all over were welcomed into the "Happiest Place on Earth" by Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and a handful of other Disney characters.
Along with head coach James Franklin and his family, redshirt junior tight end Brenton Strange, redshirt senior defensive end Nick Tarburton, redshirt senior linebacker Jonathan Sutherland, and redshirt senior long snapper Chris Stoll rode down Main Street, U.S.A. in the Cavalcade. On both sides of the road, fans were waving and smiling at some of Penn State's best as they paraded in a horse-led carriage.
Stoll was amazed with the fan support from those who attended the Cavalcade.
"We did not exactly know what we were getting into today," said Stoll. "It was a nice surprise to see all the fans over there, and all of our teammates were out there yelling at us. It was a good experience."
Penn State arrived in The Golden State on Monday, and the entire travelling party enjoyed all that Disneyland had to offer on the third day of this Rose Bowl trip.
Sutherland said partaking in the festivities was memorable.
"It was a great experience being out here with my teammates," said Sutherland. "We put a lot of work in throughout the year, and just to get the opportunity to relax and let loose at a place like Disneyland, there's no better feeling."
While the Blue and White are focused on the upcoming Rose Bowl against No. 8 Utah, Sutherland understands the importance of taking in all that the bowl game experience has to offer.
"I think it's a great balance," said Sutherland. "Obviously, we have to put the work in throughout the week, but also enjoy the time that we have with our teammates, as well as do fun things. I think we've done a great job so far, that's been awesome."
There are plenty of other Rose Bowl activities planned throughout the Los Angeles area including the Penn State Pep Rally, taking place on January 1st. The following day, Coach Franklin will lead the Nittany Lions into Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena for the 109th Rose Bowl Game against Utah.
