Penn State football dates back to 1887. Since then the Nittany Lions have won two national championships, 26 of their 41 bowl appearances, and have cultivated one of the largest followings in college football. Of the thousands of Nittany Lions plays that have occurred on the field at Beaver Stadium and elsewhere, some are destined to be remembered for the ages. These are plays that won games, turned around a season, or put the exclamation point on a career. In Game Changers: The Greatest Plays in Penn State Football History, author Lou Prato digs deep into the annals of Nittany Lions football and extracts these very best moments, bringing them back to life with a rich clarity that will delight every fan who thinks of Happy Valley as his or her home away from home.
Who can forget Gregg Garrity's diving pass reception to win the national championship in 1983? And how about Roger Kochman scoring the only touchdown in the first-ever Liberty Bowl to seal the victory for the Lions? Or the last-minute goal-line stand in 1986 that saved the championship season? These and others are among the best plays in Nittany Lions history and helped build the team into the powerhouse it is today.
Prato has painstakingly researched the team's history and assembled the plays that clinched victories, won championships, or earned bragging rights in the team's long-standing rivalries with schools such as Pitt and Syracuse. All of the plays are lavishly illustrated with accompanying full-color photographs, many direct from Penn State's archives. In addition, readers will relish player and coach profiles, quotes from participants, game statistics for each play, and ancillary events highlighted in detailed sidebar text.
Any fan of the Nittany Lions will love reading about the multitude of plays that have changed the course of games in Penn State history. All the key players and coaches are here: Todd Blackledge, Joe Paterno, Dennis Onkotz, Michael Robinson, Chuck Fusina, Ki-Jana Carter, and all the others who have made the Nittany Lions the magnificent team it is today.

Penn State football dates back to 1887. Since then the Nittany Lions have won two national championships, 26 of their 41 bowl appearances, and have cultivated one of the largest followings in college football. Of the thousands of Nittany Lions plays that have occurred on the field at Beaver Stadium and elsewhere, some are destined to be remembered for the ages. These are plays that won games, turned around a season, or put the exclamation point on a career. In Game Changers: The Greatest Plays in Penn State Football History, author Lou Prato digs deep into the annals of Nittany Lions football and extracts these very best moments, bringing them back to life with a rich clarity that will delight every fan who thinks of Happy Valley as his or her home away from home.
Who can forget Gregg Garrity's diving pass reception to win the national championship in 1983? And how about Roger Kochman scoring the only touchdown in the first-ever Liberty Bowl to seal the victory for the Lions? Or the last-minute goal-line stand in 1986 that saved the championship season? These and others are among the best plays in Nittany Lions history and helped build the team into the powerhouse it is today.
Prato has painstakingly researched the team's history and assembled the plays that clinched victories, won championships, or earned bragging rights in the team's long-standing rivalries with schools such as Pitt and Syracuse. All of the plays are lavishly illustrated with accompanying full-color photographs, many direct from Penn State's archives. In addition, readers will relish player and coach profiles, quotes from participants, game statistics for each play, and ancillary events highlighted in detailed sidebar text.
Any fan of the Nittany Lions will love reading about the multitude of plays that have changed the course of games in Penn State history. All the key players and coaches are here: Todd Blackledge, Joe Paterno, Dennis Onkotz, Michael Robinson, Chuck Fusina, Ki-Jana Carter, and all the others who have made the Nittany Lions the magnificent team it is today.