In Joe Paterno’s extraordinary career as Penn State’s head football coach from 1966 to 2011, Paterno was the most recognizable Penn Stater and citizen of Centre County. Not only was the longevity of his career at one institution exceptional in the world of intercollegiate football, but his success was unequaled as well: No other NCAA […]
The Mid State Trail is a 327-mile hiking trail that runs from the border of Maryland in Bedford County to the border of New York in Tioga County. Marked with rectangular orange blazes, many miles of the trail pass through the southern and eastern parts of Centre County. The trail originated in the late 1960s, […]
The Cold Stream Dam is a popular recreation spot on state Road 322 in Philipsburg. Throughout its history, the dam has suffered mishaps, most notably in 1936, when it broke and water flooded the downtown. However, the dam has weathered the problems and survived to remain an important local resource. A lake was created in […]
The State College Spikes is a professional baseball team that has played in Centre County since 2006. The club, formerly the New Jersey Cardinals, was purchased in 2002 by a group that also owned the Double-A Eastern League Altoona Curve. The team moved to State College in 2006, playing in the New York-Penn League, a […]
Penn State fielded its first organized football team in 1887 — just 11 years after the rules of the sport were established — and the school has had a team ever since. Penn State’s football program has been among the most successful in the country, earning 902 victories through 2020 and winning national championships in […]
The Penn State All-Sports Museum honors the achievements of the men and women who built Penn State’s rich tradition in intercollegiate athletics. Located in the southwest corner of Beaver Stadium, the museum has approximately 10,000 square feet of exhibit space spread across two floors. The museum, which opened in 2002, has its roots in the […]
Rene Portland was the head coach of the Penn State Lady Lions from 1980 to 2007, turning the team into a women’s basketball powerhouse. Under her leadership, the team won 606 games, earned their first Number 1 ranking, and reached their first Final Four. Rene (pronounced REE-NEE) Portland was the nickname and married name of […]
Bald Eagle State Park is a 5,900-acre recreation and wildlife area in the Bald Eagle Valley of Centre County. It opened in 1971 and is known for its popular lake, which is surrounded by forests, wetlands, and fields. The park is named for the Lenape chief, Woapalanne, which means “bald eagle.” Chief Woapalanne lived in […]
Horace Ashenfelter was a Penn State graduate, Olympic gold medalist, and world record holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The Collegeville, Pennsylvania, native was a four-time All-American as a member of the Penn State track team and the two-mile NCAA national champion in 1949. Ashenfelter, then a field agent for the FBI, was the surprise winner […]
In an athletic career that lasted more than a decade, Norwood H. “Barney” Ewell thrilled track spectators from State College to London’s Wembley Stadium, where he won three medals at the 1948 Olympics. Ewell won numerous titles in the sprints and long jump while representing Penn State, where he arrived in the fall of 1939. […]