‘It’s about the experience.’ No fall football means lost ‘family’ time for Penn State’s ‘Big Uglies’
Most fall weekends you can find the Duda brothers with their families.
On Friday, it’s a trip to Mom’s to spend time with her and other relatives. They have dinner and catch up about what’s going on in each of their lives.
On Saturday, the family meetup grows. They hang out with friends at tailgates in preparation for the Penn State football team to take the field. But eventually, it’s no longer three men visiting their family and friends in their hometown of State College.
Instead, it’s three indistinguishable faces in Happy Valley transforming their image into three of the most recognizable ones. They spend the morning, afternoon and — sometimes — the evening with over 107,000 Penn State “family” members, united by a single entity with the trio of brothers at the forefront.
That’s what fall weekends are to David, John and Paul Duda, better known as Penn State’s “Big Uglies.” ‘
The three men have trekked to Beaver Stadium frequently for nearly 30 years and donned their shoulder pads, No. 12 jerseys and big, ugly masks. They traverse the steps of their Saturday afternoon home-away-from-home, egging on fans around them with dances, and chants to keep their audience — one shared with the Nittany Lions — engaged with the battle of wills taking place on the field below.
The environment doesn’t just rival that of a family — it is a family.
“There’s so much divisiveness in our country now that it’s a shame that we’re going to lose out on these events that really do bring people together for a common cause,” John told the Centre Daily Times. “It’s that sense of awe when you’re in a pounding stadium at a White Out and people are just going crazy. It doesn’t matter if the guy next to you is a Republican or a different race or different religion. You’re just jumping up and down with everybody. I will miss that.”
‘We all were in it together’
This fall, that family won’t be gathering, and neither will David, John and Paul Duda. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic led to the postponement of Big Ten fall sports — including football — and the continued emptiness of over 100,000 Beaver Stadium seats.
The Dudas all agree — they’re sad. They’re sad they won’t get to see their mom, who has stayed in her house since the pandemic began in March. They’re sad they won’t get to see Penn State football because of what it means to them and what it means to fans around the country. But they understand why the Big Ten decided to cancel the fall season.
Don’t get it wrong, the Dudas said, they love Penn State football. They were excited for what was to come in 2020 with hopes of a College Football Playoff appearance seeping into their thoughts and conversations, and they wanted to see what Micah Parsons could have accomplished in his final season as a Nittany Lion.
“It was looking to be our season, right?,” John said. “With Micah (Parsons) and (Pat) Freiermuth and all of these All-Americans and this group of players. (This was) our good chance to make it to the College Football Playoff.”
The Dudas want football — and a sense of normalcy — to return, and they said they know that means taking a hiatus from both to help defeat a new opponent in COVID-19. And they know it will take a collective effort to do so.
“One of the great things about Penn State football is that it brings together people from all different kinds of backgrounds, ideologies and beliefs,” David added. “We all were in it together. Like we are now.“
Promoting safety — and, of course, masks — amid COVID-19
The brothers aren’t just talking the talk, either. All three donned face masks over their big, ugly rubber masks while speaking with the CDT to drive the point home. They’ve seen the effects of the deadly virus firsthand and each know the toll it can take. David owns a small business and has seen the financial impact it can have on businesses. Paul is a college instructor who is now tasked with teaching his students remotely. And John is a doctor who has seen the physical damage the virus can do to the human body.
That’s why the Dudas said wearing a mask and following social distancing guidelines are so important to them. Yes, they want their football back. But more importantly, they don’t want to see anybody get hurt by the virus. So they’ll be doing their part, wearing masks and keeping their distance — and even using their platform to advocate for other to do the same — believing that eventually that will allow them to return to the steel steps of Beaver Stadium.
There they’ll continue cheering, dancing and screaming with 107,000 other family members. Regardless of the game’s outcome when they make their return, the Dudas will still find joy. They’re not reliant on a win to find happiness on a fall Saturday in State College. They can find it in the smiles and laughs they bring to fellow fans. That’s what the brothers are really going to miss over the next three months.
“If you can learn to divorce yourself from the outcome of the game, you can have a great game every single time,” Paul said. “It’s not about us winning or them winning. It’s about the experience with everyone. It’s magical. It’s a place like no other place that I’ve ever been to. But we’ll get back to it. We’ll experience the beauty of that place faster if we can do the correct things now.”
Because when it comes down to it, the Dudas don their uniforms for the people around them — the same people they hope to see again once safety and normalcy returns to the world. That has left at least one of the three a little bit lost with what to do on weekends.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be spending time with these two clowns,” John said with a smile. “Even so, I do look to make the best of it.”
Looking for the positives
That could include helping turn the situation into a positive. The trio will be doing whatever they can to help — which could include a fundraiser to benefit charity — and waiting anxiously for their next trip to State College.
“Penn State has a proud tradition of doing lots of good things for people,” David said. “We can continue that.”
“As the Uglies, we’re more than willing to help out,” Paul added. “If anybody has ideas to do something worthwhile, we have a little extra time. Let’s turn this tough time into a good time.”
Eventually, David and Paul will travel from Connecticut and John will make the trip from Philadelphia to Happy Valley. They’ll have their chance to pull every decibel of noise out of 107,000 fans in Beaver Stadium and root on the Nittany Lions.
But first they’ll walk into a house to gather on a Friday night. There won’t be masks, shoulder pads and chanting, but there will be three brothers visiting their mom, and plenty of happiness shared.
For the Dudas, that joy takes precedence over all else.
“Football has always been a big part of our life,” John said. “But to me the biggest thing about the football weekend was getting together with the family. It was a way to rendezvous together at our mother’s house, and have a blast with each other. And the game was fun, but it was mostly a means to an end of getting together. Then you get the game as a sugar coating.”
This story was originally published September 5, 2020 at 4:05 PM.
