In 1966, compelled by an apparent lack of student enthusiasm, Sue Paterno (wife of Penn State legend, Joe Paterno) and her friends, decided the night before the big Penn State-Syracuse game (yes, those games used to actually matter) to paint the beloved Lion Shrine orange, using latex-based paint. They hoped that this act would get the students angry enough that they would bring the passion to the game and help the team to victory.

Unfortunately, Old State lost that game en route to a 5-5 season, but the following year, Syracuse fans, angry that they had been blamed for an act that they did not commit, decided to again paint the Lion Shrine orange – this time using oil-based paint. I’m not sure how well versed you are in your paint bases, but oil-based paint is very difficult to remove, so difficult in this instance that they had to sandblast the paint off of the Lion Shrine (there are apparently still some orange bits on the Shrine). This time around, though, the fans got into the game and the Nittany Lions got revenge to the tune of a 29-20 victory over the Orange.

In order to prevent the this from happening again, the students started to guard the Lion Shrine on nights before the big game. This has become a tradition, even though our rivalry with Syracuse has faded. The event is now put on by the Lion Ambassadors, and follows the Homecoming Pep Rally in front of Old Main on Friday night. The event features live music from Table Ten, free food, and the perpetrator of the original act, Sue Paterno.

Always a good time, be sure to check out Guarding the Lion Shrine. The event will begin immediately following the Pep Rally in front of Old Main at the conclusion of the Homecoming Parade, on Friday evening.