Nittany Lions receive a warm welcome home from fans | Centre Daily Times

The Penn State Nittany Lions received a hero’s welcome on Sunday morning.

Fresh off of a victory against the Wisconsin Badgers, the boys in blue came home to a crowd of well-wishers gathered outside of Lasch Football Building.

The crowd, a mixture of students and other fans from throughout the community, had been assembled largely through the help of Twitter. Still, a crowd that size tends to catch an eye or two.

Keith Thomas and Sam Durant were on their way to the Penn State wrestling match against Lehigh when they noticed the gathering.

Thomas, a senior at Penn State, has attended every home football game since his freshman year and has enjoyed watching the evolution of the team.

“It’s nice to see we’re finally back where we used to be,” Thomas said.

Michael and Kristen McNelis brought their young son and daughter to the impromptu homecoming.

Brendan, 6 years old, sat on top his dad’s shoulders so he could see over the heads of the masses while his older sister, Lily, admired the Lionettes.

The family’s hopes for the future were simple.

“I just want them to win,” Michael McNelis said.