Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy: The "It's Been A Long Journey: Part III - Game Day & Where Is My Allegiance?" Story

The back-seat gang: LDub, Carol, Courtney and Brynn.

It was an ordinary day. Sunny with tempera- tures in the low 50s and just a slight wind. Perfect day for a football game. Months ago my son-in-law Dave asked if the family would like to go to the Maryland vs. Penn State football game at Maryland. Dave is on the staff of the football team at Maryland and said he could get us tickets if we wanted to see the game. I should tell you that Carol and I have been fans of Penn State for many years and going to the game would be tough since we were told that if we came to the game we would have to wear Maryland school colors and cheer for Maryland.

Maryland Marching Band enjoying pre-game preparations.
Click on photos to enlarge!

Well, family matters more than allegiance to any football team, so we accepted his invitation and traveled to Urbana, MD to visit with our daughter and son-in-law as well as our granddaughters and go see the game. It was the final game of the season and with both teams in the Big 10, the game should be fun to watch.

I just had to add one Penn State photo. Thought this was
such a neat sign on the back of the truck that brought
the Pep Band to the game.

Carol and I along with Brynn and grand- daughters Courtney and Camille hopped in our son Derek's truck along with grandson Caden and headed to the stadium which is about 45 minutes from Dave and Brynn's home in Urbana. Dave gave us a parking pass and with my Handicap placard we were able to park right next to Gossett Team House.

Pre-game National Anthem.

The excitement was evident from the moment we stepped from the truck and saw the Maryland Marching Band close by preparing to enter the stadium. We entered Maryland Stadium through the Team House and found ourselves in the end zone next to the large scoreboard. Maryland and Penn State fans were finding their way to their seats in the beautiful stadium. In a few minutes Dave made his way towards us on crutches. He had recently had knee surgery and was partially immobilized. We all were wearing special passes that Dave had given us and decided that our son Derek and the three grandkids would sit in seats Dave had been given and the rest of of would watch the game from the mezzanine.

Flags from all the Big 10 schools fly above the stadium.

Now, before I tell you what followed, I should give you some background information about the coaches and players. Penn State coach James Franklin happened to be an assistant coach at Maryland from 2000-04 and again from 2008-10. He at one time was expected to take over as head coach at Maryland, but that never happened. Franklin went to Vanderbilt and then to Penn State. He still has many friends at Maryland.

Penn State enters from the Team House.

Four of Penn State's best players are from Maryland and Franklin has recruited one of the best high school players from Maryland for next year. Before the game Franklin took a walk around the stadium and made a few stops for hellos and hugs. Well, the National Anthem was sung without any problems, the team captains met at mid-field, the coin was flipped and the time-clock hit 00:00.

The Maryland "Terps" enter with fire and "booms".

The Big 10 TV cameras are rolling as Penn State takes the opening kick-off ... and goes down and scores. Wow! And ... it didn't get any better after that for the Maryland team and fans. I wound my way along the pathways to mid-field to take some photos. As I entered the seating area high above the stadium, a woman attendant saw my pass and told me I could sit in the chair on the end of the row with the padded seat.

Handshake and coin-flip.

Wow, again! Spent the first half there and then wandered back to the rest of the family. One thing I found interesting was the many time-outs that were called so TV stations could show their commercials. During those time-outs the teams gathered in front of their respective benches and just waited as did the crowd.

Plenty of fans from both sides at the stadium.

At the end of the third period we had seen enough and headed for the truck. If you haven't heard the score by now, it ended Penn State 66-Maryland 3. Awful!! Penn State certainly didn't need our support anyway. They actually had many more fans in the stadium than Maryland did. And, Maryland didn't do any better with us yelling for them. The day was still a fun experience and our family had a great time even though the team we were cheering for had not won. Oh well, there's always next year!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Penn State's Squon Barkley gains yardage.

This is what happens during a TV commercial. Players, coaches and fans just wait for the commercial to end and then someone runs on the field and signals the commercial is over.