Every April, at the end of spring practices, the Penn State football team engages in one intra-squad scrimmage game. The simple, practice game is played at their iconic Beaver Stadium. One team wears white, the other wears blue. They play a real football game. The score is kept. Coaches are serious, as are the players. The game is televised.

And 60,000 fans (give or take) descend upon Happy Valley for the whole ordeal!

It’s the Annual Penn State Blue-White Game. This year, the traditional contest will take place on Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. Admission to the stadium is free. And just like any regular Penn State home game, there will be food, beverages and team merch vendors. Tailgating is welcome (as always). And all you really need is a parking pass. They are available for purchase online ($20 — regular vehicle / $60 — RV). Or you can buy one with cash or card upon entering the lot.

The Blue-White game dates all the way back to the 1951 season.

Rip Engle, the new Head Coach at the time, agreed to the idea as proposed by the Alumni Association. The intra-squad scrimmage would be billed as a fundraising effort for the school’s scholarship fund. Admission to that first Blue-White game was $1 ($.50 for students). It was played at the nearby State College High School. About 500 fans attended the game. Those first few matchups were dubbed “The Bucket Bowl,” as the winning team took home a coveted water bucket trophy.

Needless to say, the annual contest has grown significantly in attendance, spectacle and significance. Today, the Blue-White game regularly brings together 60,000+ fans, alumni, parents, aspiring little footballers and more. It serves equally as festive warm-up for loyal Nittany Lion fans and first, real-time run-through for a hungry team eagerly counting down the days to that first fall kickoff.

Altogether, the annual Penn State Blue-White Game is a fun tradition for the whole family. Pack up that cooler and portable grill. Shake the dust off those old cornhole boards and head to Happy Valley this April.

Blue/White Experience through the Eyes of Local Nittany Lion

Gearing up for the Blue/White game gave us the opportunity to reach out to Linebacker and Special Teams Captain, Dominic DeLuca, for a little rundown. The West Pittston native has been hard at work in State College, juggling classes, meetings and practice. As always, he took a moment to offer his insights on the team’s 2024 outlook, off-season training and the popular, annual spring scrimmage.

How’s off-season training going so far?

Off season has been going great! Winter workouts got us ready for spring practices and everyone is hungry to learn.

Can you run us through the typical off-season and spring practice routine?

On a spring practice day, I will have class from 10:35am – 1:20pm. Then I will get in the hot tubs to get warmed up. After tubs, I’ll do some extra stretching with coach Al. We will have meetings from 3:15 until about 4:30. Then, we will go out to practice. I found out very quickly that you need to have a schedule for everything – even for how you’re going to get ready for practice (laughs). And I found this schedule works best for me.

How many players are returning?

I do not know the exact number but we are returning a good amount back on offense, defense and special teams.

How many new players are coming in?

We had about 20 freshman enrollments that came in January, and they are having a great spring so far. I’m excited to see how they grow and mature as football players.

What’s the atmosphere like at practice and in the locker room this off-season?

Coach Franklin always emphasizes to treat every rep like it’s the Super Bowl, and I feel like everyone has that same mindset at practice which is making everyone better.

What is the significance of the Blue-White Game?

To get all the fans together in Beaver Stadium and to show everyone how well we have been working this offseason and getting ready for the season.

Do you remember ever attending the Blue-White Game as a fan?

I do remember attending the blue white game as a kid with my whole family and friends. It was always nice to get back into Beaver Stadium and get excited for the season to start. And it was always fun to get back to State College and to see the town.

You guys have an interesting 2024 schedule lined up. What are some of the games that fans should really be excited about this fall?

We are preparing this spring and during camp to go to Morgantown (first game at West Virginia) and then, from there, we’ll work on going 1-0 each week.