![]() The problem was it was a noon kick-off at the beginning of September. ![]() Therefore, because it was Alabama and the biggest named opponent on the schedule the White Out was set for that game. My freshman year at Penn State in 2011, the second game of the season was against Alabama. Time of season, time of kick-off, and the opponent are the three ingredients for a perfect White Out. The history of the Penn State White Out is incomplete though without noting the major keys to the game’s success. Making it the biggest home game of the year. At least 107,280 fans have attended every White Out since 2004. There has been an all-stadium White Out game every year since 2007, except for 2010. He stated after the first all-stadium game in 2007, “It was incredible.” He was further astonished by the noise, “It’s so loud, you can almost feel it.” The right pieces for success Then Nittany Lion quarterback, Anthony Morelli, marveled at the White Out. With a little persuading and the fact that I had no more games left in the day, my dad and I were able to make it for the first ever all-stadium White Out. My coach was not fond of me leaving the tournament early. The game was played on September 9th, during my first high school soccer tournament. There was no way I was missing my mom’s Fighting Irish take on my Nittany Lions in Beaver Stadium. I was 14 years old for the first all-stadium White Out. Notre Dame came to Happy Valley for the first time since 1991. These new tactics worked, the fans responded and the stadium was decked out in white for the match-up with Notre Dame. They aired commercials featuring fans dressed in all white and stationed stadium personnel at every exit wearing all white the week before to remind fans about the White Out the following week. They printed White Out game reminders on the season tickets. There was no White Out game in 2006 due to the way the home slate was scheduled, but it was back in 2007. ![]() It remains to be just a little blip in the history of the Penn State White Out game. There is no evidence to suggest that code blue ever worked. Students went to each dorm building leading up to the game and reminded everyone attending the game to wear blue and be on time. The Penn State students tried another tactic in 2004 as well code blue. After the game he praised the Penn State students, calling them, “the best student section in the country…they’re crazy.” Code blue? This event is when Ohio State alum and ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit‘s alleged Penn State love affair started. Downing told the Collegian, the Penn State newspaper, that he could not hear fellow offensive line member Nick Mangold from two feet away. The student section was rocking, so much so that Ohio State center Doug Datish still remembered in 2006 how his ears rang when the Buckeyes approached the student section decked out in white. Penn State would beat the number six Buckeyes 17-10 that year, in large part due to the noise level inside Beaver Stadium. The football marketing team resorted to signs around campus, students handing out reminders, and standing on street corners to try to get the word out. Facebook was still in the early stages of development. There was no Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat. Being 2004, social media was not what it is today. ![]() There were two weeks to plan the student section White Out before the October 9th match-up with Purdue. The problem in 2004 was that there was only one home game left before late October when it starts to get very cold in Happy Valley. He thought white would be a good idea because the students undoubtedly had a white shirt lying around. ![]() He wondered what it would be like if the entire student section, that takes up approximately twelve sections of Beaver Stadium, wore white. The Penn State White Out game started in 2004 when the former director of Penn State football’s communication and branding had an idea. The history of the Penn State White Out game is an interesting one that started in the student section in 2004. There will be over 100,000 people in Beaver Stadium all dressed in white, screaming at the top of their lungs so they will not be able to talk at work on Monday. A holiday in Happy Valley as Penn State fans look forward to this game every year. This week marks the 13th Penn State White Out. ![]()
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