While I was waxing nostalgic in that previous article, I recalled that I had some old photos of Beaver Stadium from my time at Penn State. So, I thought I would share them with you. You’ll find them here
Archives for October 19, 2007
Footballistic Confessions of a Geezer
The State of Things in 1964
In 1964, the year of my matriculation to Penn State, the following things were true:
- Joe Paterno was an assistant to Rip Engle
- Girls had to live in women-only dorms unless they were 21 or married
- Jerry Sandusky was playing defensive end and also played offense
- Girls had to be back in the dorm at 11:30 on weeknights and 1:00 on weekends
- Pittsburgh still had operating street car lines
- Dick Anderson was a graduate assistant who taught my phys ed class
- The only State Store in Centre County was in Bellefonte
- Galen Hall was already an ex-quarterback
- The academic year was comprised of four quarters
- Mike McQueary wasn’t born yet
- Glenn Ressler was our only All-America team member
- It was the Look All-America Team then, sponsored by a long defunct weekly picture magazine
- We smoked cigarettes and pipes in class
- Beaver Stadium held about 45,000 people
- Players played both ways, offense and defense
- In State College, bars served beer but not liquor
- The Pitt game was the big rivalry, it was always the last game of the year, and I always froze my ass
- A gallon of gas cost $0.29
- The Nittany Lions played a 5-3 defense, because defending the run was what it was all about
- Cornerbacks were called defensive halfbacks
- Lyndon B. Johnson was the President of the United States
- Since the run was the thing, the offense lined up with two halfbacks, a fullback, and two ends
- The fullback was always the most productive runner.
- The fullback in 1964 was Tommy Urbanik.
- You could buy a new, fully equipped, full-sized car for $3000
- Syracuse used to kick our ass regularly
- Elizabeth Taylor was totally hot in Cleopatra
- Freshmen were not allowed to play varsity football, so there was a freshman team
- All freshmen except commuters had to live in the dorms
- The unranked Nittany Lions trounced the #2 Buckeyes in Columbus, 27-0
- There were no such things as co-ed dorms
- Our quarterback was Gary Wydman, backed up by Jack White
- The Steelers sucked
- The Pirates were good
- Jenny wasn’t born yet
- Neither were some of the McCabe Sisters
We’re talking 43 years ago here, folks. Boy, am I old! But I hope these factoids were fun for you.
If anyone else is still alive from that period, please post your reminiscences in the comments below.
Thanks!
—TNT