UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The words “We Are Penn State” were cheered for the first time in Beaver Stadium in 1976 by cheerleaders determined to fire up fans, according to this historical account written by Penn State historian Lou Prato.
Inspired by the boisterous enthusiasm they saw from the fans of opposing teams while on the road, squad members were determined to bring that excitement back to their home field by creating a new cheer, eventually adding a pause (and a drum roll) between the words to solicit a call-and-response from the stands: "We are ... Penn State!" While the cheer took some time to catch on, the cheerleaders persevered season after season, and by 1981 it had become a permanent part of the games — and of the language of every Penn Stater.
Penn State legend also ties the phrase "We are Penn State" back to 1946, when the Nittany Lion football team made history for refusing to play in a game against then-segregated University of Miami. When told they must leave its Black players at home, the Penn State team instead voted to cancel the game.