Following the Penn State Homecoming parade and prior to the Nittany Lions’ Homecoming duel in Beaver Stadium, the Lion Ambassadors host one of Penn State’s most time-honored traditions — the Guard the Lion Shrine.

Every year on the eve of the Homecoming game, Sue Paterno reminds folks exactly why members of the Penn State Army ROTC guard the beloved campus symbol.

“Welcome back, everybody,” Paterno said. “Isn’t it great to come back to where you grew up? Where you fell in love, maybe? I, for one, did.”

In former Penn State football head coach Joe Paterno’s first year at the helm of the blue and white, his wife, Sue, occupied by three young children, decided a Nittany Lion gameday needed a little more excitement. At the beginning of Joe’s tenure in Happy Valley, fans sat calmly in Beaver Stadium and celebrated touchdowns with a few claps while dressed in suits and high heels. That didn’t really fly with Sue, though.

“So when Joe became head coach, we had three little kids,” Paterno said. “Two months old, one-and-a-half, and three [years old]. Now how do you go someplace and just never move? I had trouble staying awake. So I thought, something’s got to change.”

Paterno recounted how she and other coaches’ wives doused the Nittany Lion Shrine in orange latex paint, the colors of Penn State’s opponent Syracuse, and quietly departed the scene.

“At 7:30 at night, nobody noticed,” Paterno said. “We’re smart, we went to Penn State.”

The latex paint was easily removed from the Symbol of Our Best. The next year, however, six Syracuse students partook in a similar prank, though this time, poured orange oil-based paint onto the Nittany Lion, which proved to be much harder to remove.

Since that night, members of Penn State’s Army ROTC guard the shrine, protecting it from any Homecoming eve shenanigans.

While Paterno believes she never would’ve been caught, years later Joe revealed Sue’s tight-lipped secret from years before.

“Joe let it slip,” Paterno said. “He was no longer mad that we painted the lion because now we were cheering. We were standing up and cheering, and look how far we’ve come.”

Aside from Paterno’s address, the Friday night event featured performances from Penn State student groups, yard games, and food truck delicacies.

“Have a great weekend,” Paterno said. “I know we’re going to win tomorrow, so let’s all enjoy the weekend.”