New ‘Legacy Plaza’ project to honor Penn State football history, raise money. What to know

In an effort to both fundraise and honor the football team’s history, Penn State soon plans to install a “Legacy Plaza” just outside Beaver Stadium on Curtin Road.

The project — announced Thursday by the athletic department — will include separate plaques outlining each of the Nittany Lions’ 136 seasons, with year-by-year information on the schedules, results and team captains. Fans will also be able to purchase pavers, or granite bricks with personalized inscriptions, that will be located near the plaques and benches, per a provided rendering.

The project is expected to be completed ahead of the 2023 football season, which kicks off at home Sept. 2 against West Virginia.

“Penn State football has rich tradition and history, and we are excited to be able to recognize all of those accomplishments with this new Legacy Plaza at Beaver Stadium,” Penn State Athletic Director Patrick Kraft said in a written statement. “We want our Lettermen, Varsity ‘S’ members, Blue Band members and all of Nittany Nation to be a part of this celebration of Penn State football.”

Costs for the pavers vary from $350 for a 4x8 brick (1-3 lines of text) to $1,000 for a 12x12 brick (1-5 lines of text). Fans can also purchase replica bricks to display at home, for between $125 and $500, along with separately purchasing a display case for the smaller sizes.

Thursday’s announcement comes less than a month after university President Neeli Bendapudi publicly announced that Beaver Stadium would be renovated — pending a future vote from the board of trustees — and not rebuilt. But, according to Kris Petersen, a spokesperson for the athletic department, the project has no financial impact on the stadium’s future renovations and the timing was coincidental.

“The idea of the Legacy Plaza was brought to Pat by Wally Richardson and Kirk Diehl, in concert with football lettermen, alumni athletes and former Alumni Association executive director Roger Williams, in the early summer 2022 as a way to honor the rich tradition and history of the program and to allow our alumni and fans to be part of Beaver Stadium,” Petersen told the CDT. “The timing of the announcement is a product of working on the design of the project, as well as wanting to have the opportunity to purchase bricks available for Blue-White Weekend.”

The annual Blue-White Game is set for April 15.

Penn State football’s first season came in the 1880s. The program boasts 920 total wins (8th all-time), two national titles, 13 undefeated seasons, 52 bowl appearances (10th), 31 bowl wins (t-4th), 101 first-team All-Americans, 30 national award winners, 25 College Football Hall of Famers and a Heisman Trophy winner in John Cappelletti (1973).

For more information on the project, or to secure a paver, visit PennStateLegacyPlaza.com or call 1-844-424-2263.