Keegan Michael Key explains WE ARE...
- Thread starter heckmans
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He led the "We Are...Penn State" cheers at homecoming when he was the grand whatever. I had to imagine, standing in the middle of the field, that this must have been a heck of a rush. When can you direct over 100,000 people with 50,000 yelling We Are and the other 50,000 yelling Penn State....and concluding with Thank You and You're Welcome!
Insane to think that, when my parents were still kids/nearly kids, Alabama was still having to force integration of high schools, and when my grandparents were young, this kind of crap was going on, to the point where a "we are ... Penn state" statement needed to be made so a black man could play a football game.
It's that close in temporal proximity. Ick.
Fun story but has been debunked repeatedly. The chant came from cheerleaders trying to come up with a chant in the 70s IIRC, but that's far less interesting.
Actually, we ripped it off from USC. They gave a "we are... SC" cheer. Cheerleaders picked it up when we played in LA in the early nineties. Yep, it is that recent.
Well, this did not age well. I yield to Lou Prato. See below.
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The "We Are" chant history is explained in the first chapter of, once again, Lou Prato's book.
He explains the Triplett theory. Steve Suhey (name sound familiar, it should) was an All American guard in 46 and 47. In 46 the team voted unanimously not to play at segregated Miami when Penn State was asked to leave their black players at home. The same players were on the team in 47. When invited to the Cotton Bowl that year, a player or two asked if they would have to have another team vote if this request was made again to leave their black players at home. Triplett has stated that captain Suhey said there would be no team meeting because "We're Penn State".
Prato states that cheerleaders crafted the cheer in the mid 70's borrowing from Ohio State, USC, and Kentucky cheers. He dates the origin as 1975. The cheer failed in the first three home games of 1976 stated Bob Kimmel, former cheerleader and advisor. Not until 1981 after persistent teaching the crowd was the cheer successful. At the end of the 1981 season the crowds cheered "We Are, Penn State" without prompting from the cheerleaders.
Hope this helps.
I highly recommend the book. This gem as well as 99 more are detailed.
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I just read the chapter. It started in 1975 as the cheerleaders were looking for a new cheer to revitalize the crowd. It was borne out of inspiration from the O-H-I-O cheer at OSU and USC's "We are SC" shouted rapidly without pause. The cheerleaders started it at the beginning of the '76 season in the student section in the North end zone with little success. Then in our first away game that year versus Kentucky they found the "golden key" as Prato put it. There was this big roar across the stadium with one half yelling "Blue" and the other half "White". The cheerleaders knew that could work for us.
Still it took more than five years to fully succeed. First with students then all the fans. In fact Prato writes that he was shouting the cheer at the '79 Sugar Bowl but it had not caught on yet with Penn State football nation. Maybe if it had we would have won! (that last part is me not Prato). In the '81 away game vs Nebraska the cheerleaders were regenerated hearing the home fans chant in unison.. "Go.....Big Red" throughout the game. This intensified the cheerleaders teaching process of the We Are Penn State chant to the students and fans. By the end of the '81 season the Penn State crowd was cheering it without prompting from the cheerleaders. At some point the "Thank you" and "You're welcome" were added.
There is a 12 foot sculpture installed in the summer of 2014 on a busy corner at University Drive and Curtin Road close to Beaver Stadium, Pegula Arena and the BJC. The words "We Are" in large shining steel letters stand permanently on a concrete foundation for all to see. A gift by Penn State's senior class of 2013. Interesting this is right around when all those sanctions hit.
The origination of the "We Are Penn State" cheer is the very first chapter in Lou Prato's book "100 Things Penn State Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die".
