A Win for the Student Body

Some of you may know that I'm a graduate of Penn State - a very, PROUD alumnus I might add. I've worn the Penn State colors for years.....been a proud fan of any Nittany Lions' sport, particularly football. While at Penn State, I never really had the opportunity to meet Coach Paterno but I did idolize him, regardless. It wasn't until 4 years ago, on a non-publicized visit to Granby High School, that I did finally get a chance to meet him and spend a little time(I have some associations with that school which enabled me to meet him.). After that, the pedestal was higher than ever for Coach and PSU!.......THEN the events of this past week unfolded and I felt as if I had been punched right in the stomach... betrayed by own father. You see, that's JoePa to any Penn Stater. He is like a father to anyone who has ever attended that school. As this week progressed, my pride began to turn to embarassment, anger and disgust. How did all of this happen at such a great place??? To add insult to injury, I watched a misguided group of students cause even more embarassment for Penn State Wednesday night after Coach Paterno's dismissal was announced.
After all of this, I had decided that showing any Penn State colors, logos, etc. in the future would not be in any of my wardrobe plans. The man I admired more than most and the university I was proud to have attended had let me down and it would be quite some time, I thought, before that would ever change.
I actually wasn't sure whether I even wanted to watch the Penn State-Nebraska game but then I was made aware of two things - a student candlelight vigil last night(with some of the players)and a proposed student "Blue-Out" for the game to remember the victims and their families. That was just the tip of the so-called iceberg. As the game telecast began, I watched the team come in from the tunnel arm-in-arm, shoulder-to-shoulder, surrounded by cheerleaders and NUMEROUS former Penn State players. I saw a totally BLUE stadium. I saw Penn State AND Nebraska football teams meet at midfield and pray together for these victims and their families and those who have yet to come forward. I saw a student body unified for a cause....a cause this country knew existed but now realizes how big of a problem it really is.

The game was a good one. Both teams showed a tremendous amount of resiliency and heart but the Nittany Lions fell short by 3 points. How did the student body in that stadium react? A standing ovation for both teams!!! Once again, the teams met at midfield and prayed as did the entire crowd.

This may have been a loss for the Penn State football team but it was a huge victory for the Penn State student body who showed the world that no coach, no game, no school holds more importance than the innocence of a child. You can count on seeing me, from here on, in my Penn State blue and white....but, for a very different reason!