Happy November 17, an insignificant day for most but one avid readers and general blog fans may recognize as the anniversary of our first ever post and, subsequently, the birth of Onward State. Eight years ago today, OS co-founder Davis Shaver published “Rumor mill,” a two-sentence, 29-word post suggesting Girl Talk would perform on campus later that Fall 2008 semester. The rumor ended up being true, and the rest is (almost) history.

In honor of our eighth birthday and the opportunity to reminisce in our archives a little bit, we’ve compiled some of the most “Onward State” posts ever to take you down memory lane and remember why you fell in love with the little blog that could. If you’re a new reader, enjoy some of the most unique Penn State stories that we’ve been honored to share over the last eight years and hopefully will get to continue to share for hundreds more.

Rumor mill

The post that started it all was published eight years ago today including the now-iconic (at least in some circles) image featured above.

Dodgeball: One Media Outlet To Rule Them All

In our early days, the media outlets came together for the ultimate clash: the Media Dodgeball Classic. Ever since those early days we’ve been all but begging the Collegian and other outlets to play again, but to no avail. We get that you’re scared, but please bring back Media Dodgeball.

On My Hero’s Doorstep

An emotional recollection of a special night in the hearts of Penn Staters just days after the Sandusky scandal broke, Kevin Horne recounted the scene at Paterno’s home when he arrived home from practice on November 8, 2011. It’s just as moving five years later as it was during some of Penn State’s darkest days.

What THON Means to Me

Controversial but important, this post eloquently highlights the mainstream social problems with THON that are more often than not swept under the rug because, how dare you say anything bad about THON?

Meet Penn State’s Squirrel Whisperer

In 2012 we had the opportunity to introduce a Penn State icon to the community: Mary Krupa, who you probably know better as Squirrel Girl. Krupa plans to graduate in December, but she’ll forever live on as a legend in her own right.

Other Places Penn State Lives

You probably have seen Penn State hanging around Sackett, falling off some building at a branch campus, or on the front page of Penn State Police’s most wanted, but there’s a lot of other places you probably would never have expected to find Penn State living.

 409 Things I Will Tell My Future Probably Penn State Daughter

We once compiled a list of Penn State things that every Penn State woman should know, do, or will probably find out, things that we’ll probably all tell our definitely Penn State daughters one day. The list is as comprehensive as one can find and will surely make you excited for the day you can share the Penn State experience with children of your own. Of course, Penn State is a whole different world for guys, so we also compiled a list of 409 to tell your Penn State son. Speaking of dads…

The 10 Types Of Penn State Dads You’ll See This Weekend

Everybody loves a Penn State Dad, and though no two Penn State Dads are exactly the same, most of them boil down to one of the 10 types we’ve probably all seen.

A Love Letter To Rutgers

“Forgive me Rutgers, for I have sinned.” Timely as ever this week, this sarcastic piece has yet to be irrelevant (because Rutgers has failed to be relevant…or good at football. Or anything else.) since it was published in September 2014.

An Open Letter to Keith Olbermann

It’s good to see you again Keith, we go way back. Olbermann ripped into one of our articles on his show and we ripped back with this open letter. He has since been suspended from ESPN after he called Penn State students “pitiful” on Twitter after THON.

I Went Undercover As A Penn State Sugar Baby

Alumna Sarah Caskie went all in for this piece, joining the sugar daddy/sugar baby website and finding a date in State College — a large, underground community — and recounted the entire situation that was more awkward than anything. Journalism at its finest.

University Source: Joe Paterno Statue Melted Down For Rodney A. Erickson Food Science Building

It never fails to amaze us just how many people have fallen for this April Fools joke, even two years later. President-elect Donald Trump even brought it up during a campaign speech in Pittsburgh earlier this year. A timeless classic.

The All-American Rathskeller: From Prohibition To Ponies

The story of the Rathskeller is almost as deep-seeded in State College’s history as almost anything else. One look inside tells the bar is more than just a spot for college kids to grab a drink, and this feature by Jon Deasy is one of the best we’ve ever published.

Penn State Lacrosse Will Never Pull Its Goalie

 

Connor Darcey passed away in 2015, but his legacy lives on in Penn State lacrosse. The Penn State community came together as only the Penn State community can, and we took an emotional look at what it takes to step up in the face of a nightmare.

As always, thanks for reading and thanks for following. Tell us your favorite Onward State post in the comments or let us know what we missed. Here’s to eight, 10, 50, and hopefully even more years as your favorite Penn State blog!