Carolyn: 146 Games in a Row!

I wasn't always a Penn State football fan. I grew up in Boston, and so my interest in sports was pretty much confined to major pro sports such as the Red Sox, the Celtics, and the Patriots, when they were winning and competing in division playoffs and beyond. It was more of a social thing rather than a serious interest in sports.

That all changed when I met Terry in 1985, and two years later we married. When we were discussing our expectations for marriage, Terry said "one thing you should know about me is that I intend to continue to go to Penn State football games. You can join me or you can stay home." I wasn't opposed to football, I just didn't know anything about it. So I said I would try it. I moved to Pennsylvania from Boston in 1987. The rest is history.

I had been to a couple of games with Terry in 1985 and 1986, but my real introduction to Penn State football occurred in 1987, my first full season. We lived in Easton PA until 1997. Terry was working in Allentown PA and I was commuting to central NJ. Every Saturday morning we would drive 185 miles to Beaver Stadium for a home game and then start the return home, staying in Danville PA on Saturday night. It turned out that I really enjoyed Penn State football, and rapidly became a fan.

We would go to a few away games each year, most within driving distance. But in 1988-1989 we went to two away games that were extraordinarily fun: Alabama at Legion Field, Birmingham, and Texas at Austin, Texas. After those two experiences, I said to Terry that we should try to make ALL the games for one year. So we started in 1990, and we've been doing that ever since.

In 1997, after Terry retired, we moved to Centre County and I started a new career as a marketing instructor at Penn State.

The last game I missed was the Iowa game in Iowa City in September 2001. I had tickets and airfare to that game. But our cat Smokey was very ill, so I told Terry to go to the game and I would take care of our cat.  I was glad I stayed home.  There were few precious moments left in his life.

In June 2010, I participated in the first ever Ladies' X's and O's Football Camp at Beaver Stadium.  So now I can add to my resume that I have played football at Penn State!

And at the Penn State-Temple game at Beaver Stadium on September 22, 2012 I witnessed my 300th game in person.

Now, read about Terry for the rest of the story!