Prugar: An Ode to The Beaver Stadium Press Box

As snow enveloped the Penn State campus early Saturday morning, the Beaver Stadium press box fell to the ground as renovations continue at Penn State football’s home.

Fans, alumni, administrators and media saw the beloved press box go down, taking decades of memories and thousands of stories with it.

Goodbye Beaver Stadium Press Box 🏟️❄️ pic.twitter.com/DGq98DbJM3

— Christy Shields (@WxShield) January 4, 2025

I have been fortunate to be able to watch games from the press box since 2016 beginning with the season opener against Kent State, and being able to watch games from there is something I’ll always cherish.

One final time in the Penn State press box. 9 years, a billion outlets and a lot of words, memories and hot dogs. pic.twitter.com/qgdae25aut

— Jarrod Prugar (@jprugar26) December 21, 2024

Watching games and working at Beaver Stadium has always meant a lot to me since joining the beat. My father, who passed away in 2012, was a union electrician who helped wire the most recent addition to the stadium when Penn State closed off the Mount Nittany side of the stadium.

Being able to make memories there and be reminded of my dad every time I looked toward that side of the stadium is something I am forever grateful for and will continue being grateful for even when the new press box is finished in a few years.

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I’ve compiled my top-10 memories of the Beaver Stadium press box over the past nine seasons and look forward to memories in the new press box, as well as hopefully some more room to move.

1. The Block-6 – Remember being “super reliable from inside of 40?” Yes, same here. That’s why I was in the elevator when the biggest play of James Franklin’s tenure happened and I missed it. When the elevator arrived on the ground level, the stadium was going berserk and I had no clue what was going on. Honestly, just thought Penn State got the ball back. I was clearly wrong.
2. The Shakes – Speaking of the stadium going berserk, the first time I felt the press box shake I was certainly a little uneasy. But then you kind of get used to it after a bit. It was wild when Zombie Nation would pipe through the stadium and it would shake the louder the crowd would get.
3. The Food – From 2016 to 2023, the food was impeccable. There was chicken parm which tasted so good, macaroni and cheese and countless other delicious meals. Oh, and they had ice cream cups from the Berkey Creamery. It definitely made the thumping of schools like Kent State and Georgia State far more bearable.
4. The Tripping – There is a slight change in elevation as members of the media and those in the press box move toward the portion of the press box which hosted the food and that change caused a multitude of people, myself included, to trip, stumble and nearly fall.
5. The Close Quarters – Save for 2020 when we were forced to social distance, there was never an excess amount of space in the Beaver Stadium press box and hopefully you liked the people who sat next to you because you were nearly on their laps. If you had to get up or someone around you did, hope you enjoyed getting hit as they walked by.
6. The Catwalk – There were a few times the elevator was out of service and it created some of the most exhilarating and frightening times as you descended down the catwalk much like the video below.

With Beaver Stadium’s press box in rubble, let’s take a moment to remember its staircase. They began with what felt like a trap door, were rusted, often wet and kinda loose.

Descending them felt like accepting a dare. Here’s the view from a lovely fall day. pic.twitter.com/GOHsyAnhEp

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) January 4, 2025

1. The Pipes Freezing – There was no greater addition to the stadium than the winterization of it and its pipes. Nothing will top a Michigan State game a few years ago when the pipes froze over Thanksgiving break and the bathrooms were not usable in the press box forcing those in it to go to the main concourse to utilize the facilities.
2. The Views – When in the first row, the views were immaculate and you can see every part of the field necessary and even beyond the stadium with the mountains and Pennsylvania scenery. If you were in the second row, which is where I spent the first few years, there were beams that obstructed views and not a lot of room to walk.
3. The Sounds – Obviously Beaver Stadium can be loud, but one of the most interesting things about the press box was you could hear random fans shouting different things from right below where we were seated. It made for many a funny moment depending on how the game was going.
4. The Food – 2024 – For as great as the food was from 2016-2023, 2024 was abysmal unless you liked hot dogs. Once known for delicious food and ice cream, those in the press box were subjected to hot dogs, pulled pork or brisket and no ice cream throughout the season.

Honorable mention – The Carpet – The press box carpet between the secondary elevator and the press box dining room got throttled with dropped hot dogs and different things multiple times this year and it smelled exactly how you’d expect, awful.

Thanks for the memories Beaver Stadium press box. You will be missed, but a new one is certainly welcomed.