The Legends of ’94: Part 4
Unbeaten, Unstoppable, Uncrowned An Oral History of the 1994 Penn State Football Team Part 4: A blowout in Bloomington ends up deceptively close and costs the Lions in the polls; a surreal trip to...
View ArticleThe Legends of ’94: Part 5
Unbeaten, Unstoppable, Uncrowned An Oral History of the 1994 Penn State Football Team Part 5: The Grandaddy of Them All; dreams of a 1-2 matchup for the ages; memories of the Joe they knew; and 20...
View ArticleLegends of ’94: The Oral History
Unbeaten, Unstoppable, Uncrowned An Oral History of the 1994 Penn State Football Team * * * Twenty years ago this fall, in just their second season of conference play, the Nittany Lions put...
View ArticleClassic Appeal
Probably more than anyone, Sweeny Murti appreciates the parallels between the New York Yankees and Penn State. In October, Murti ’92 finished his 14th season as the Yankees beat reporter for WFAN, the...
View ArticleSpider Caldwell, Back Where He Belongs
Last fall, he went to his first tailgate. Brad Caldwell was back in town for the Ohio State game, and there he was in the Medlar Field parking lot, soaking up the pregame scene. “Thirty-one years, my...
View ArticleA Determined Duo Takes on ALS
When we caught up with Tim Shaw in December, he was in Boston to fulfill a specific—and rather unusual—task. “I’m giving them my skin cells,” Shaw ’06 said. “I was at the ALS Therapy Development...
View ArticleThe Penn State Players’ Tribune
Current and former Lions worked on and off the field to maximize the impact of Sam Ficken’s final college kick. By John Patishnock ’05 * * * Call it fate, or coincidence, or something else....
View ArticleGetting Back in the Game
In his recovery from a freak injury and a harrowing hospital stay, former Nittany Lion captain Ryan Keiser is buoyed by faith and family as he slowly works his way back to normal. * * * They’re...
View ArticleThe Marshall Plan
For Marshall Lefferts, cancer is a detour, not a roadblock. The story of the Nittany Lion football player you never got a chance to know. * * * Five days a week, Marshall Lefferts repeats an...
View ArticleExclusive Q+A: James Franklin
In the midst of his second spring practice, James Franklin reflects on the progress the Nittany Lions have made since his arrival, and ponders how much farther they still have to go. * * * It was...
View ArticleJohn Black and “The Blood Bowl”
As he starts his 40th season in charge of The Football Letter, we look back at the time John Black starred on the field in Penn State’s biggest rivalry. * * * It was a legendary performance made...
View ArticleOne Step Away
For the 1985 Nittany Lions, an unbeaten regular season was tarnished by an Orange Bowl loss, and overshadowed by a perfect season in 1986. Thirty years on, we look back at one of the great—but largely...
View ArticleMax Hamilton Gets in the Zone
We first met Max Hamilton last month in West Lafayette, where she was tailgating with family after the Nittany Lions’ win at Purdue. Max doesn’t miss a Penn State game, home or away, a level of...
View ArticleFirst Time’s a Charm
“Last night was my first Penn State game…” The email hit The Penn Stater magazine inbox the day after the Big Ten title game, sent by a self-described “life-long PSU fan” and former Marine named Eric...
View ArticleMike Stella’s Rare Strength
As a member of Penn State’s 2018 recruiting class and one of the best high school tight ends in the country, Pat Freiermuth (above, left) knows his audience. So when he tweeted recently encouraging...
View ArticleAll in the Family
Organized, enthusiastic, and relentlessly dedicated, the Penn State Football Parents Association provides quiet but invaluable support for the Nittany Lions—and for each other. * * * The tradition...
View ArticleHappy Birthday to Us
This season marks 80 years since Ridge Riley ’32 debuted The Football Letter as a way to keep far-flung Penn State alumni up to date with the week-to-week results of the Nittany Lion football team. It...
View ArticleLionhearted
Danny Connell is a hockey player, with all the passion and toughness that designation implies. He’s been on the ice since he was four. “It’s the love of his life,” his mother says. This past summer,...
View ArticleSpecial Commitment
Jake Zembiec has been around the sport of football for half his life. Mostly playing, though the last few years have seen a shift to a coaching and mentoring role. More on that shortly. Only, football...
View ArticleMinnesota Chapter expanding ‘Penn State footprint’
You could say that this weekend has been 15 years in the making for Emily Zuber. Perhaps, even longer. Her story transcends football, or geographic regions, though everywhere along the line, Penn State...
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