Tales from Penn State Football

In Tales from Penn State Football, Ken Rappoport puts you on the 50-yard line and sometimes gets you a seat on the bench or a stall in the locker room. From the first team in the 1880s to the celebrated Joe Paterno teams of the 20th century, Penn State's most entertaining (and legendary) football stories are chronicled here. And there is plenty to tell, considering the history of the Penn State football program. Penn State football started in 1881. or was it 1887? While the present football media guide does not recognize the 1881 team, there was evidence the Nittany Lions actually played Bucknell that season, Rappoport states the case for 1881. These early pioneers could hardly envision the future popularity of the game, where crowds of more than 100,000 would fill Beaver Stadium to see Paterno's nationally ranked powers play in the second-largest football stadium in America. In between, there have been plenty of colorful stories and characters at Penn State to fill a book. There was a coach who held up a Rose Bowl game over a violent argument and another who credited a mule for his success. Also, a player who impersonated the legendary Jim Thorpe and another nicknamed "Riverboat Richie" for his gambling instincts on the football field. They usually paid off. For many of the stories in this book, Rappoport went right to the source. In an earlier interview at the Nittany Lion Inn, Joe Paterno talked about his famous "Grand Experiment." At about the same time, Rip Engle discussed his most treasured moments at Penn State.