Sometimes I think back to the first Penn State-Michigan football game I covered.
It was 1994, my first season on the Nittany Lion beat.
I was 25, just got moved to the sports department in August and was really just figuring out what I was doing.
So I still didn't realize the magnitude of this matchup, the venue or how good this Penn State team would turn out to be.
I went to Ann Arbor, got the to the Big House obscenely early and waited around for what seemed like forever, not really knowing anyone.
The game started and Penn State quickly took a commanding 16-0 lead.
But Michigan battled back to regain its footing.
And so it would go back and forth from then on, with Eastern York's Jon Witman scoring for the Lions along the way.
Finally, in the final few minutes under a night sky, I watched from behind the sidelines as Kerry Collins found Bobby Engram in the end zone for the go-ahead score.
The Lions intercepted on the ensuing possession and held on.
The game ended, I rushed to get interviews and then struggled trying to put into words the magnitude of what I had just seen.
Remember, I was new to all of this.
I had trouble sending the story on my laptop, finally getting it to my editors later than I should have.
A kind soul back at the paper not only smoothed things over with deadline but also fixed up the rough edges of my copy.
Later, I sat alone and had a late dinner that night at some chain restaurant I can't remember now.
I still had not seen the Nittany Lions lose. Who would have believed I wouldn't for nearly another year?
Back then this was all still new, all too special to yet fully comprehend.
Leave a comment