Penn State news by
Penn State's student blog

Topics

More

The History of “We Are… Penn State”

Our ubiquitous Penn State cheer is rooted in the struggle for civil rights… how cool is that?

The Centre Daily Times ran a really interesting story on Sunday about the history of the ‘We Are… Penn State’ cheer.

The phrase’s roots are with Wally Triplett in 1948. Though he did not coin the phrase, he was the football team’s first black starter. At the time, he says there were only about twenty black students at Penn State.

In 1948, Penn State was set to play Southern Methodist University in the Cotton Bowl. Triplett said he remembers that rumors circulated that SMU wanted to meet with Penn State to discuss the team not bringing its black players. During this time, Triplett credits guard Steve Suhey with coining the now-famous Penn State slogan.

“We are Penn State,” Triplett recalled Suhey saying. “There will be no meetings.”

Triplett ended up going and scoring the touchdown that tied the game 13-13. It’s a good story, and well worth a read.

UPDATE: Robert remembered seeing a video about this a while back on the GOPSF website. Here it is.

Your ad blocker is on.

Please choose an option below.

Sign up for our e-mail newsletter:
OR
Support quality journalism:
Purchase a Subscription!

About the Author

Davis

Creator of @OnwardState. Big fan of sweaters.

DuBois Goodwill Sells Rare Lego Piece For Over $18,000

While it took some time for Goodwill experts to know what they had on their hands, initial offers for the piece came in at $30,000.

New Defensive Coordinator Tom Allen Brings Key Wrinkles To Penn State Football’s Defense

“We try to keep things simple so we can play fast.”

Women’s History Month: Five Influential Penn State Alumnae

To celebrate Women’s History Month, learn more about five influential Penn State alumnae.

Follow on Another Platform
113kFollowers
164kFollowers
59.4kFollowers
4,570Subscribers
Other posts by Davis

Penn State and the Process of Life

To paraphrase Mark Twain: The reports of higher education’s death have been an exaggeration. American universities produce more research and relevant knowledge for the world at large than any other institutions I know of. Tuition may be too damn high, but over the long-run, undergraduate degrees are definitely worth the cost. But Penn State could be so much more. It used to be, I think.

Bonded in Blue, White, and Worry

43 Simmons