# @pennstate on TikTok

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.tiktok.com/@pennstate/video/7260960614900796718
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/29788619-pennstate-tiktok
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/62644dd8b5.jpg
- **Posted:** 2023-07-28T19:55:46.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Penn State University (@pennstate) — https://gondola.cc/pennstate

## Caption

Penn State Traditions 101: The words “We Are Penn State” were first cheered in Beaver Stadium in 1976. Inspired by the enthusiasm opposing teams’ fans on the road, squad members were determined to bring excitement back to their home field by creating a new cheer. While it took some time to catch on, the cheerleaders persevered, and by 1981, "We Are... Penn State" was a fixture of games—and of the language of every Penn Stater.    Penn State legend also loosely ties the phrase back to 1946, when the football team made history by refusing to play in a game against then-segregated University of Miami. When told they must leave their Black players at home, the Penn State team instead voted to cancel the game. The following season, Penn State was invited to the Cotton Bowl but was again asked to leave the team's two Black athletes, Wally Triplett and Dennie Hoggard, at home. They refused that request, with captain Steve Suhey reportedly saying, “We're Penn State,” indicating that they were a unified team. The full team went to the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 1948, in a matchup against Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. With Dallas still operating under Jim Crow laws at the time, it was a game that would become symbolic of desegregation in athletics. Triplett and Hoggard became the first African Americans ever to play in the Cotton Bowl, with Triplett catching the tying touchdown for a final score of 13-13. He went on to become the first African American draftee to play in the NFL.  "We Are ... Penn State" became a permanent physical fixture in 2015 when the "We Are" Sculpture, gift of the class of 2013, was installed at University Park. It has become a fan-favorite spot for photos, with the reflective polished steel inviting visitors to see themselves in the sculpture, embodying the unity that "We Are" inspires among Penn Staters. #pennstate #pennstatefootball #pennstateuniversity

## Stats

- **Views:** 75,500
- **Likes:** 8,549
- **Shares:** 333
- **Comments:** 76

## Credits

These are the roles credited on Gondola. Credits may be incomplete.
A brand, account owner, or featured person is not necessarily the creator.

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Penn State University | @pennstate | https://gondola.cc/pennstate | University |
| Courtney | @courtney_witmer | https://gondola.cc/courtney_witmer | Assistant Director of Social |

## Tags

pennstateuniversity, pennstatefootball, pennstate

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