“When you win an important game from Ohio State in Columbus … the inclination is to be polite about the victory and magnanimous with the vanquished. But honestly Continue reading
From The Archives: Michigan
Photo by Steve Manuel
“All of the omens were ominous.”
So began John Black ’62 five years ago, in The Football Letter following Michigan’s 2008 visit to Beaver Stadium. Continue reading
From the Archives: Indiana
Fact: Penn State has never lost to Indiana.
Another fact: The series is closer than it looks. Continue reading
Lou Prato Looks Back on an Unforgettable Season
The format for Lou Prato’s fifth and latest book was something of a happy accident. It was his publisher, Prato says, who suggested the idea for a diary of the Nittany Lions’ 2012 season. The catch was that the season was already over.
“How could I do it as a diary of the season,” Prato says now, “when I didn’t keep a diary?”
Prato ’59 tackled the challenge anyway. In the space of about four months, Prato turned his encyclopedic knowledge of Nittany Lion football—he did write the Penn State Football Encyclopedia, after all—and countless hours of intensive research into a book that does justice to the unforgettable events of last season. The result is We Are Penn State: The Remarkable Journey of the 2012 Nittany Lions, with a forward by Bill O’Brien. It’s on sale now in hardcover and as an eBook.
We had a chance last week to catch up with Lou about the project. Among other things, he says, he “didn’t want to do a game-by-game breakdown; I wanted to capture the essence of the games.” As always, it was a pleasure to talk Penn State football with a guy who knows it better than just about anyone. Here are some of the highlights… Continue reading
Happy Birthday, Fran
I don’t really know Fran Fisher. But like most long-time Nittany Lion fans, I feel like I know Fran Fisher.
The voice of Penn State football for the better part of Joe Paterno’s tenure, Fran turned 90 on Monday. Continue reading
The Man at the Turn
“This is the first year that I march to that spot. I didn’t really know what to expect.”
This guy—the guy at the end of the line, right in the middle of the picture—is in an interesting spot. We wanted to find out who this guy is.
From The Archives: Kent State
Jim Rayburn’s Long Run
It began two days after Thanksgiving, 1972. If not for Agnes, it might have started a few years before that.
From the Archives: UCF
Photo by Steve Manuel
With Christian Hackenberg breaking freshman passing records and making most of the headlines as Penn State prepares to face Central Florida, we look back at the Nittany Lions’ two previous meetings with UCF—and at the guy whose rookie QB record Hackenberg recently broke.
John Black: What to Watch
Last Saturday at MetLife Stadium, John Black ’62 settled into the press box for the start of his 38th season in charge of The Football Letter. With the season opener in the books, we asked John about his expectations for the rest of the season, and for the questions he’s eager to see answered. He shares his thoughts and insights below. Enjoy—and hope to see you Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
The Football Letter Blog 