As Penn State celebrates its 105th Homecoming with a nationally televised game of ranked unbeatens, we share some inspiring words from one of Old State’s most eloquent voices.
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Penn State held its first Homecoming celebration in the Fall of 1920. The centerpiece of the weekend was an October 9 game played before a record-breaking “standing room” crowd of 12,000 at New Beaver Field. The returning alumni, who inaugurated the new tradition that would continue on for more than a century and that we’ll again renew this weekend, watched one of State’s best early teams, which would finish the season 7-0-2, the front-end of two-year undefeated span. The Nittany Lions, led by star halfback Charlie Way and future College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Glenn Killinger, sent Dartmouth packing by a 14-7 final tally.
At the time, Penn State was still a relatively young institution, having struggled through the early decades following its founding and, at the turn of the century, escaped its probable demise against seemingly daunting odds (not for the last time!) thanks to the steady leadership of visionary president George Atherton. As the new century blossomed, Old State was only just starting to hit its stride. The dedication of a special weekend to welcome alumni coming back to campus symbolized the roots of the college taking hold here in the Nittany Valley. Through toil and struggle, Penn State’s founding leaders and early classes of students had built something that would endure, that was worth returning to celebrate, and that was set to inspire future generations to profess their love and loyalty.
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