Penn State is home to one of the most popular collegiate football teams in the nation. Whether your loved one graduated from Old State or he just worships the ground that Joe Paterno walks on, here are ten gift ideas to ensure you have a happy Nittany Lion in your home for the holidays.
1. Floor seats at a Penn State basketball game would be a great Christmas gift this year, even for the football fan. No really…I mean it. The Penn State men’s basketball team has been picked by many experts as a sleeper team this season, and taking a Penn State fanatic to see a winning PSU basketball team would be a real treat. Let’s be honest; who knows the next time this opportunity will arise?
2. The Lion in Autumn: A Season with Joe Paterno and Penn State Football by Frank Fitzpatrick is a great insight at arguably the greatest coach in collegiate football history. Fitzpatrick does a great job of writing a biography about Joe Pa all the while chronicling the tumultuous 2004 football season. This is a great read that any Penn State football fan will have trouble putting down.
3. Bland as it may be, the Penn State football uniform is one of the most recognizable in college football. What better place to show it off then a Christmas tree? Penn State football helmet ornaments make a great stocking stuffer and look stunning on any tree. Some people may prefer silver and gold as decorations, but any Nittany Lion would prefer blue and white.
4. John Cappelletti is one of the most famous and beloved Lions to play in Beaver Stadium. One of the best gifts any Penn State loyalist would love to receive is an 8×10 autographed action photo of the Heisman trophy winner. What is cool about this option is you have the choice on which you would rather purchase; a college or pro football live action shot. Either of those is a great collector’s item.
5. One of the funniest and most useful Christmas presents I’ve ever received was a bottle opener with a Nittany Lion on the handle of it. I loved how cool it looked and couldn’t wait to use it. It wasn’t until I did that I realized just how special this bottle opener was. Every time I use the bottle opener, “Fight On, State,” the Penn State fight song, plays. I get a good chuckle every time I use this. Now I can show off school spirit whenever I open an ice cold beer.
6. 2005 saw the rebirth of Penn State football after a few losing seasons in a row. Restoring the Pride: Penn State’s 2005 Championship Season is a compilation of articles printed in the Centre Daily Times throughout the 2005 season. Everything from Paternoville to the Ohio State game on prime time to the victory at the Orange Bowl is in this book. This makes a great coffee table book and collector’s item.
7. Any follower of Nittany Lion football would treasure the chance to have the legendary Joe Paterno in his house. Now this is a possibility…sort of. Available is a six foot tall life-sized cutout of Joe Pa. There is no better novelty item for the Penn State fan than having Joe Paterno in his house. Plus, it looks really cool.
8. Like any university, Penn State has its traditional fight songs that are played during sporting events. The Penn State Blue Band has released several albums in which they play these and many other great songs. This is a great way for somebody to re-live Beaver Stadium memories. Not to mention that the Blue Band annually wins numerous awards, so the quality of the music is exemplary.
9. The football games are not the only thing that make Saturdays in Happy Valley famous. In 2005 Penn State was voted to have the best tailgates in the country. Aid your tailgater this year with a PSU tailgate table. This is not your ordinary card table. This rectangular table is painted to look like the field at Beaver Stadium. Whether you are camping outside the stadium waiting for the gates to open or just having a few friends over for the game, this table is perfect.
10. If all else fails, you can never go wrong with the bobble-head. Stores in State College as well as online stores have many options here. I always recommend the Joe Paterno bobble-head. Everything from Joe’s ridiculously large glasses to his zipped-up windbreaker is detailed. Even the pants of the doll are rolled up to emulate Joe.
What’s nice about Penn State’s popularity is that gifts such as the ten listed are not hard to find. If your local stores do not carry PSU merchandise, worry not. These gifts as well as countless others can be found on the internet. Nevertheless, these ten gift ideas are guaranteed to put the smile on any Penn State fan.
