Under the baobab: Sports build, strengthen community in Centre County
Spectator sports create opportunities to create community.
Seven times a year over 100,000 people gather to tailgate and cheer on Penn State’s football team. The men’s and women’s basketball teams pack the Bryce Jordan Center. The women’s soccer team has won 20 regular season Big Ten Championships and the 2005 NCAA national championship. PSU women’s volleyball team plays to packed houses and has won more NCAA national championships than any other school in the nation. The wrestling team regularly sells out the BJC and is consistently ranked top in the country.
Ten years ago, a series of events nearly destroyed Penn State’s sense of community. On Nov. 5, 2011, former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested. He would eventually be convicted on 45 of 48 charges of child abuse and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. Four days later, university President Graham Spanier handed in his resignation. Coach Joe Paterno was unceremoniously fired by the board of trustees. Thousands of students wept then protested. Under interim coaches the 21st nationally ranked football team lost three of its next four games.
Paterno died two months later. Officially the cause was lung cancer. Those who loved and respected him as a teacher/coach believe that JoePa died of a broken heart. He helped to build this university to national prominence. He and his wife, Sue, contributed to building a new library, a Catholic youth center, PA Special Olympics and hundreds of other community projects including our Shakespeare at the Palmer Free Summer Theatre.
The university administrators fired him with a phone call. His memorial statute was torn down. The NCAA imposed sanctions, which nearly destroyed the football program. It didn’t. But, while we were attempting to heal, the pandemic came with its sheltering isolation. We were thrust into a two-year abyss of sickness and death.
Now under the leadership of Sandy Barbour, Coach Franklin, Coquese Washington and her successor, Carolyn Kieger, Micah Shrewsberry, Erica Dambach, Jeff Cook, Cael Sanderson, Russ Rose, Guy Gadowski and others, the university’s sports programs have begun to bring us back. We have cautiously chosen to make eye contact above our still worn masks.
Penn State is enjoying a cornucopia of championship events this week. Two football games, one we should’ve won, a 31-14 victory over Maryland, which made State bowl-eligible, and another we could’ve won, a 17-21 loss to Michigan. We watched the Maryland game at Pat Romano’s We Are Inn in Philipsburg with former star running back, Blair Thomas, PSU Trustee Ted Brown, and other fans who bleed blue.
Tuesday night Kieger’s Lady Lions packed the house for their opening night victory against Long Island University. Ali Brigham in her first PSU game scored 20 points and had 9 rebounds. Two nights later she did it again, 23, while beating Rider. This time Makenna Marissa and Niya Beverly also kicked in 20 points each. It had been 7 years since the first time three Lady Lions scored 20 or more in the same game.
Men’s basketball coach Shrewsberry made his debut with a 75 to 59 victory over Youngstown on Wednesday night. Are two berths in the NCAA tournaments too much to hope for?
The women’s soccer team under Dambach’s leadership won its initial game match in the NCAA tournament. The men’s team under Cook played in the Big Ten final against Indiana. The final score was 3 to 0 for the Nittany Lions to win the Big Ten championship. They begin the NCAAs on Thursday.
The returning champion wrestling team won its first two matches against Sacred Heart and Oregon on Saturday. Rose’s 15th ranked women’s volleyball team won its away matches against Michigan and Michigan State. The No. 19 ranked hockey team drew almost 6,500 fans, the second largest in Pegula Ice Arena history.
It’s time. See you at the game. Does anybody know where JoePa’s statue is?