Beaver Stadium
| Beaver Stadium Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Current Capacity | 106,572 (2011 - ) |
| Original Capacity | 46,284 (1960) |
| Website | GoPSUsports.com |
| Address | 1 Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA 16802 |
| Beaver Stadium's Top 10 Crowds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance | Date | Opponent | Result | |
| 110,889 | 09/29/18 | #4 Ohio State | Ohio State, 27 - 26 | |
| 110,856 | 11/11/23 | #2 Michigan | Michigan, 24 - 15 | |
| 110,830 | 09/23/23 | #24 Iowa | Penn State, 31 - 00 | |
| 110,823 | 10/21/17 | #19 Michigan | Penn State, 42 - 13 | |
| 110,753 | 09/14/02 | #8 Nebraska | Penn State, 40 - 07 | |
| 110,747 | 09/02/23 | West Virginia | Penn State, 38 - 15 | |
| 110,669 | 10/19/19 | #16 Michigan | Penn State, 28 - 21 | |
| 110,134 | 10/27/07 | #1 Ohio State | Ohio State, 37 - 17 | |
| 110,078 | 09/08/07 | Notre Dame | Penn State, 31 - 10 | |
| 110,033 | 11/07/09 | #15 Ohio State | Ohio State, 24 - 07 | |
Official attendance figures include press, bands, and stadium personnel.
Beaver Stadium, built in 1960, is named after former Governor of Pennsylvania and Penn State University President, James A. Beaver. With a capacity of 106,572, Beaver Stadium is the second largest stadium in the United States. With such a large capacity the Nittany Lions enjoy a fantastic home field advantage which has motivated them to a record of 316 - 81 (79.6%) at home since the stadium's opening in 1960.
I’ve said it before, that atmosphere is as good as there is in the country. I told Coach Franklin while he was down here in Nashville, I said, “Wait until you see that student section. That’s the best scene in the country. The Whiteout at night, when the game matters, it’s unparalleled.” It’s as much fun of a scene that I’ve seen in my career. Kirk Herbstreit, OnwardState.com, 6/18/2015
The largest crowd ever to see a Penn State football game at Beaver Stadium was on October 21, 2017. A crowd of 110,823 witnessed the #2 Nittany Lions take on the #19 Michigan Wolverines. The Saquon Barkley helped the Nittany Lions jump out to a quick 14 - 0 first quarter lead but Michigan battled back to get within one point before the Lions scored again just before the half to go in to the locker room leading 21 - 13. The Nittany Lions held the Wolverines scoreless in the second half while putting up 21 more points to get the win with a final score of #2 Penn State 42, #19 Michigan 13. Talk about a home field advantage!
After watching the September 27, 2008 game against Illinois, Senior Sports Illustrated writer Stewart Mandel wrote in his "Five Things We Learned This Weekend" column...
It was impossible not to be awed by the visual grandeur of Penn State's "White Out," it's awesome. Two words of advice to all the other schools trying to mimic it: Just stop. Seriously. Stewart Mandel, Sports Illustrated, 9/27/2008
Not only is Beaver Stadium home to some of the largest attendances in the country, they are also some of the loudest. The loudest recorded noise level in Beaver Stadium was on October 27, 2007 when the #1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes visited Penn State. That reading came in at 122 decibels (dB) which is loud enough to cause physical pain on the ear drum.
There's simply no better student section in the country than the one at Beaver Stadium. Brian Bennett, ESPN, 2/17/2014
