Michael T. Mondak speaks: 40 til 40 day 20 (halftime)

 It’s day 20 of the 40 til 40 series of blog entries, and that brings us to halftime.  The series is about anything and everything relevant to the number 40 leading to my 40th birthday on July 10.

My last entry talked about the game shows that aired on television in 1985, 40 years ago.  This entry talks about the 40 greatest moments in Penn State football history.

40.  December 27, 2014:  Penn State defeated Boston College 31-30 in overtime to win the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx.

39.  September 14, 2002:  Penn State upset then-#8 Nebraska at Beaver Stadium 40-7 for its first victory over a top ten opponent since 1999.

38.  January 26, 1969:  Head coach Joe Paterno rejected an offer to become the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL.

37.  August 31, 2019:  Penn State opened college football’s sesquicentennial season with a 79-7 victory over Idaho at Beaver Stadium.  The 79 points were the most scored by the Nittany Lions in a single game since scoring 81 against Cincinnati in the 1991 home opener.

36.  October 8, 2005:  In the first ever student section Whiteout at Beaver Stadium, Penn State upset a then-#6 ranked Ohio State 17-10.

35.  September 29, 2017:  Penn State running back Saquon Barkley scored four touchdowns in four different ways in a 45-14 victory over Indiana at Beaver Stadium.  He scored by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, catching a touchdown pass from Trace McSorley, rushing for a touchdown and throwing a touchdown pass to DaeSean Hamilton.

34.  November 23, 2002:  In a 61-7 win over Michigan State on Senior Day at Beaver Stadium, running back Larry Johnson surpassed the 2000 yard rushing mark for a single season when he rushed for 279 yards and four touchdowns in the first half.

33.  September 3, 2011:  Penn State scored a touchdown on the opening kickoff just ten seconds into the home opener, setting a new school record for the fastest touchdown from the start of a game, on their way to a 41-7 victory over Indiana State at Beaver Stadium.

32.  January 20, 1983:  Following the Nittany Lions’ first consensus national championship, head coach Joe Paterno challenged the Board of Trustees to make the university as a whole number one by stressing the need for a world-class library, stating “Without a great library, you can’t have a great university.”

31.  October 29, 1994:  Penn State celebrated its 75th Homecoming festivities with a 63-14 win over Ohio State.

30.  June 19, 1950:  Rip Engle was named head coach and Joe Paterno an assistant coach.

29.  September 6, 1986:  Penn State kicked off its centennial season with a 45-15 win over Temple in a primetime home opener at Beaver Stadium.

28.  October 27, 2001:  Head coach Joe Paterno surpassed Bear Bryant for the most coaching wins in major college football with his 324th win as his Nittany Lions defeated Ohio State 29-27 at Beaver Stadium.

27.  November 26, 1994:  Penn State, in its second season in the Big Ten Conference, clinched the conference championship outright with a 59-31 Senior Day win over Michigan State at Beaver Stadium.

26.  December 19, 1959:  Penn State shut out Alabama 7-0 in the inaugural edition of the Liberty Bowl at Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia.  It was Penn State’s first victory in a bowl game.

25.  November 28, 1981:  Penn State knocked off top-ranked Pitt in Pittsburgh 48-14 after scoring 48 unanswered points, denying Pitt a chance to play for the national championship.

24.  April 6, 1977:  CBS aired the made for television movie Something for Joey, based on the book of the same title about the true story of the bond between 1973 Heisman winner John Cappelletti and his baby brother Joey, who was battling leukemia.  The movie starred Marc Singer as John Cappelletti, Jeffrey Lynas as Joey Cappelletti, and Paul Picerni as Joe Paterno.  Produced by MTM Enterprises, the film was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe Award.

23.  December 30, 1986:  Sports Illustrated magazine named head coach Joe Paterno as its Sportsperson of the Year.

22.  January 13, 1973:  Head coach Joe Paterno rejected an offer to become the general manager and head coach of the Boston Patriots of the NFL.

21.  December 31, 1978:  The CBS News program 60 Minutes profiled head coach Joe Paterno and Penn State football as part of the buildup to the Sugar Bowl the following day to determine the national champion.

20.  November 30, 2024:  Penn State defeated Maryland 41-7 on Senior Day and clinched a trip to the Big Ten championship in Indianapolis following Michigan’s upset over Ohio State in Columbus earlier in the afternoon.

19.  December 14, 1973:  Penn State running back John Cappelletti was named the winner of the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s most outstanding college football player.  In his acceptance speech, he dedicated the award to his baby brother Joey, who was battling leukemia, a gesture that brought tears to everyone’s eyes.

18.  September 25, 1982:  Penn State knocked off a then-#2 Nebraska 27-24 at Beaver Stadium when Todd Blackledge threw a touchdown pass to Kirk Bowman with four seconds left in a game known as “The Miracle of Mount Nittany”

17.  January 1, 1972:  Penn State defeated Texas 30-6 in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.  It was the first game that Texas’ wishbone offense was held without a touchdown since 1966.

16.  October 25, 2008:  Penn State defeated Ohio State in Columbus 13-6.  The winning (and only) touchdown of the game was scored by backup quarterback Pat Devlin.  Penn State did not commit a single penalty in this game.  It was the first game since 1993 that Ohio State was held without a touchdown.

15.  December 21, 2024:  Penn State won its first ever College Football Playoff game at Beaver Stadium with a 38-10 victory over Southern Methodist.

14.  July 1, 1993:  Penn State football became the 11th member of the Big Ten Conference after 106 years as an independent.

13.  January 3, 2006:  Penn State defeated Florida State 26-23 in triple overtime to win the Orange Bowl in Miami in their first ever Bowl Championship Series game.

12.  June 16, 1973:  Head coach Joe Paterno, the keynote speaker at commencement, took a shot at President Nixon by asking, “How could the president know so little about Watergate in 1973 and so much about college football in 1969?”

11.  January 1, 1948:  Penn State and Southern Methodist played to a 13-13 draw in the Cotton Bowl, the first fully integrated Cotton Bowl.  Wally Triplett and Dennis Hoggard played for Penn State as the first black players to play in a bowl game after captain Steve Suhey rejected a Southern Methodist request for a vote on whether Triplett and Hoggard could play, citing “We are Penn State, either all play or none play.”

10.  October 29, 2011:  Head coach Joe Paterno became the all time wins leader in Division I football history with his 409th win as Penn State defeated Illinois 10-7 at Beaver Stadium.  Paterno surpassed Grambling head coach Eddie Robinson with this victory.

9.  September 8, 2007:  In the first ever all-stadium Whiteout at Beaver Stadium, Penn State defeated traditional rival Notre Dame 31-10.

8.  August 31, 2014:  Penn State defeated Central Florida 27-24 with a Sam Ficken field goal as time expired to win the Croke Park Classic in Dublin, Ireland.  It was the first win under then-new head coach James Franklin.

7.  January 2, 1995:  Penn State defeated Oregon 38-20 in the Rose Bowl to cap a perfect 1994 season.

6.  December 31, 2024:  Penn State advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals with a victory over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

5.  February 16, 1966:  Joe Paterno was named head coach upon the retirement of Rip Engle.

4.  October 21, 2016:  Head coach James Franklin got his signature win when Penn State knocked off a then-#2 ranked Ohio State 24-21 following a Grant Haley scoop and score off of a blocked Tyler Durbin field goal attempt.

3.  January 1, 1983:  Penn State won its first consensus national championship with a 27-23 victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl at the Superdome in New Orleans.

2.  December 3, 2016:  Penn State defeated Wisconsin 38-31 to win the Big Ten championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

1. January 2, 1987:  Penn State won its second consensus national championship with a 14-10 victory over Miami in the Fiesta Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium in Arizona.  It was (and still is) the most watched single college football game of all time.

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