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Stadium sees a record crowd

By BOB HARIG

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 2, 2001

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Miami and Penn State were greeted by a record crowd of 109,313 in a newly expanded Beaver Stadium.

The $93-million project added more than 12,000 seats, including two new decks at the east side that now block the view of Mount Nittany and luxury suites.

The expansion is expected to boost gross revenue from ticket sales to about $3.9-million per game.

Ironically, coach Joe Paterno, who was an assistant to Penn State coach Rip Engle in 1959, thought that transforming the old Beaver Field, which seated 30,000, into Beaver Stadium, with a capacity of 46,284, was a bad idea.

"It's really been amazing," Paterno said. "I was also a naysayer when it came to the suites and club seats, too, but now I think it's great."

Beaver Stadium, seating capacity 106,537, is the second-largest college stadium in the country, behind Michigan Stadium (107,501).

REMARKABLE: Adam Taliaferro didn't run, but he didn't walk. He sort of sauntered onto the field, then jogged, soaking in the cheers while photographers swarmed him.

Taliaferro wore his No. 43 jersey and led the Nittany Lions onto the field before the game, nearly a year after suffering a spinal injury in a game against Ohio State that doctors at the time believed would prevent him from walking again.

But Taliaferro made a remarkable recovery, and after months of rehabilitation, he is back in school and serving as a volunteer coach.

"The adrenalin was definitely flowing," Taliaferro said. "It took me back to last year. I can't put it into words. ... It was just the culmination of everything that's happened. I'm just so thankful that I've had so many people support me."

BETTER NOW: Mike Rumph, Miami's senior cornerback, is a much better player than the last time the Hurricanes faced the Nittany Lions.

That was in the Orange Bowl two seasons ago, and it is difficult to shake the memory. With less than two minutes left, UM led Penn State 23-20 only to see Chafie Fields score on a 79-yard touchdown pass, beating Rumph and safety Edward Reed, who failed to provide needed help.

Now they are veteran leaders and Thorpe Award candidates. And they have used the play to their advantage.

"My game has improved so much since that game," Rumph said. "That play made me a lot better player. ... After that game, I came back and went hard every day. Especially when they throw a deep ball, I focus even harder so something like that doesn't happen again."

"Me and Mike always talk about it," Reed said. "That's the extra incentive. It's not a get back at you thing. It's another year. It's two years later. We just want to play our game."

COKER, MEET PATERNO: Before Saturday, the closest first-year UM coach Larry Coker came to Paterno was in an automobile. Coker was the passenger in a car that nearly hit him.

"It was my first coaching convention ever, in the '70s, down on South Beach," Coker said. "I was at Tulsa, and I was riding in a car with one of our other coaches. We're driving along and there is a pedestrian walking across the street. All of a sudden, it's 'Look out!' And it was Coach Paterno walking across the street. I said, 'My God, you almost killed Coach Paterno.' It's not a funny story. But it's an ironic story."

ODDS AND ENDS: Paterno needs just one victory to tie the Division I-A record set by Paul "Bear" Bryant at 323. Florida State's Bobby Bowden has 316. The records: Bryant, 323-85-17; Paterno 322-91-3; Bowden, 316-87-4.. ... Penn State's 1986 national championship team, which defeated then-No. 1 Miami 14-10 in the Fiesta Bowl, held a 15-year reunion on campus. ... The previous record attendance at Beaver Stadium was 97,498 on Nov. 9, 1997 in a 34-8 loss to Michigan.

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