John Montgomery (Monte) Ward is the only person from Centre County elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The Bellefonte native was a player and manager in the early years of professional baseball, but is best known for organizing the sport’s first union in 1885.
Memorial Field is the historic home of State College Area High School athletic programs and other community events. Once a farmer’s field with a prominent sinkhole on the edge of the borough, the area around what is now Memorial Field became the home to State College schools starting with a two-story, four-room schoolhouse that opened in 1897.
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 Route 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 survived to remain an important local resource.
The State College Spikes is a professional baseball team that plays in Centre County. 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.
Penn State fielded its first organized football team in 1887 — just 11 years after the rules of the sport were established — and has had a team ever since. The program has been among the most successful in the country, winning national championships in 1982 and 1986.
The Penn State All-Sports Museum honors the achievements of the young 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.
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 […]