Onward State: A Year In Retrospect
Just like that, Onward State’s first birthday is coming to an end.
We realize that many of you probably have not followed the blog since its inception, so we have put together a list of the most memorable posts from our first year.
November
Collegian Nickelback Review: Too Generous?
When we first set out on this winding path through Blogfrica, the initial goal was to just keep churning out Penn State content when we could. Evan wrote what came naturally for his first post – a reflection on the Collegian’s review of Nickelback’s Dark Horse. Though it wasn’t directly related to Penn State, we still get rebuttals in the comments from Kroeger-loving internet wanderers to this day.
December
Our first look at the party atmosphere at Penn State. It’s a shame that legal concerns kept us from producing more of our Last Night’s Party [Ed.- Not Safe for Work]-inspired journeys through Happy Valley nightlife. You’ll just have to enjoy this one and the two that followed it.
January
An Interview With The Preacher
Our first ’10 Questions’ piece actually only consisted of eight questions. However, this interview with “Willard Preacher” Gary Cattell revealed – among other things – that if he were a dinosaur, he would be a brontosaurus.
BONUS (Because we had a hard time narrowing this list to 12): Natty Nittany Visits The HUB
February
Eli took all the economic misery of the Big Ten and compacted news that may be hard to swallow into an easy-to-digest rundown. If you love graphs, this is your story.
March
Fifteen Things The Collegian Can Do To Survive
We like the Collegian – all of us read it daily. But that doesn’t mean we can’t poke fun at it every now and then. We’re still waiting for them to heed our suggestion that they WRITE RANDOM SENTENCES IN ALL CAPS PERIODICALLY TO GET THE READER’S ATTENTION.
BONUS (Because we had a hard time narrowing this list to 12): State Patty’s Day
April
Mission Accomplished (AKA Green Man Goes To Class)
In early February, we had the honor of being nominated as Best College Alternative Media Outlet by U.S. News and World Report’s Paper Trail blog. Almost two months later, I’m sprinting through 100 Thomas in a green bodysuit. We caught it all on video, and somehow, no one was legally prosecuted.
May
Kundnani Stole Thousands Through Fake Fund
In the height of buzz about Bernie Madoff and Ponzi Schemes, Penn State’s very own con man was caught. What followed was some good old fashioned investigative journalism, with each lead revealing new and more interesting allegations. The only post to date that contains the phrase “[He] stole my laptop and roofied my friends.”
June
Breaking: Graham Spanier’s A Furry
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
July
Our comprehensive photo coverage of State College’s biggest event of the summer.
August
More Than 10 Questions with Jay Paterno
In which we learn that JoePa is (supposedly) not actually yelling at Mike McQueary that much. Stefan got us a key interview with Paterno, the Nittany Lions’ Quarterbacks coach, who was more than willing to share his thoughts on Politics, Football, and Brett Bracket’s Borat impression.
September
Though it is much easier to focus on our more lighthearted coverage, it would be remiss to ignore the search for and tragic discovery of freshman Joseph Dado. We did the best we could to keep the community informed of the situation, and in turn we received a moving response from our readership. Several of you worked together in the comments to aid in the search, contributing to coverage in ways that would have been unimaginable ten years ago – crowdsourcing and spreading the word as quickly as possible. Later many people visited to pay their personal respects. It was a dark day, but we all did what we could.
October
Reporting from the Press Box: An Onward State Diary
One sports blogger’s journey into the lesser-seen areas of Beaver Stadium. Ever wonder if the reporters get free creamery ice cream? Here’s your answer.
Of course, these are just fourteen of the 1,000+ posts we’ve written in our first year of existence. There are plenty more in the archives for you to peruse, as well as (hopefully) thousands more in the future. Thank you for helping us get to this milestone – we hope you’re still reading for many more.
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About the Author
James Franklin Traverses Maryland To Celebrate Olu Fashanu & Chop Robinson On NFL Draft Night
Fashanu and Robinson’s selections mark Franklin’s 22nd and 23rd first-round products.
Penn State History Lesson: The 2008 Mifflin Streak Lawsuits
Due to precedent set in 2008, participants of the annual naked run cannot be arrested for public indecency or lewdness.
Gorman Abruptly Resigns
Head coach of the men’s soccer program Barry Gorman unexpectedly announced his resignation Monday. He leaves a legacy of 22 years of coaching and three Big Ten titles in his wake. Citing “personal reasons,” he has left the team to a nation-wide search for his successor.
“We expected Gorman to be there,” [rising Senior and Co-Captain Andres] Casais said of next season. “He was a father figure to us.”
Oof, that can’t feel good. The move isn’t completely out of the blue, as Gorman was periodically absent during the past few weeks without notice. But from all accounts, his intention to resign was only revealed yesterday. On the abandonment scale, this registers just slightly above “going to the store for some cigarettes and never coming back.”