When I was a freshman I used to sit in the stands at Beaver Stadium and wonder what it would be like to be down there -- on the sidelines -- photographing the game. Well, several years and a dozen days on the field later, I now know what the other thousands of fans in the stadium are missing.

A typical game at Beaver Stadium

We usually arrive at least a hour before kickoff. As a photographer, I usually carry about 15 pounds of camera equipment, including two camera bodies, a few large lenses and lots of film. After entering through the press entrance and displaying credentials, we are given a special sticker to easily identify us on the field. Then the fun begins.

Just before kickoff, 75 to 125 photographers take to the sidelines. We represent all the major media and every small-town paper in the state that can afford to send someone to the game. In addition, all the area TV camerapersons, guests of the two teams, persons whose friend-of-a-friend got them a pass, University security officers and would-be recruits hang around the sidelines during the game. That's if the game is not televised.

When it is televised, add to the Happy Valley Sideline Gang three live cameras, with their accompanying miles of cables, a group of people whose sole job is to be sure the cables do not get tangled, a car with a camera crane that runs up and down the west sideline, parabolic microphone holders and their cable holders, and last, but never least, the guy who tells the referees when it's time for a TV time out.

Other typical hazards

-- Referees are there to officiate the game, and therefore need the best possible view of the action. Unfortunately, it's the same view the we want. This creates countless thousands of frames of film filled with the backside of a ref who stepped in front of us just as we hit the shutter.

-- No one is allowed to get too close to the field. A line circling the field keeps everyone about four yards away from the action, unless you work for the televison network covering the game. TV people are allowed to step past the line whenever they feel the inclination -- usually the entire game.

-- Plus, everyone is restricted from standing behind the two teams, an area which spans 30 yards of each sideline. We may walk behind the teams, but not stand.

During the game

During a typical game we will walk up and down the length of the field 30 or 40 times with their equipment. With the large number of people on the sidelines and the limited space, everyone must run and shove to get a good spot to shoot every time a team moves down the field.

We begin racking up more yardage than the running backs, dodging all the other players on the sideline in a game of our own.

Typically, we will shoot five rolls of film each per game, sometimes more. If we're lucky, we'll have five good shots to print.

Players rarely notice people on the sidelines. When a 200-pound receiver runs out of bounds, everyone runs backwards and hopes to get out of his way. But that's part of the fun of photographing big-time football.

The real thrill of shooting football games is going on road trips. It's 10 times more difficult and twice as much fun.

There are a lot of things that are different about away games. First, we have to find our hotel. It may be next to the stadium. It may be 75 miles away. A band of Collegian reporters, photographers and I once went 25 miles out of the way into downtown Boston looking for the wrong hotel at a Boston College game.

Once we find our hotel and make it to the stadium we must find press parking. This sounds easy enough, but parking attendants are usually unfamiliar with this concept.

Now it's time to find the press entrance and the entrance to the field. There is only one entrance in each stadium that we are allowed to use. The locals all know where to go. The ushers do not. A former photo editor and I once missed the first 15 minutes of a Maryland game because we could not find the way into Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, although seven different attendants gave us directions.

Well, now we've made it to the field. All set, right? Well, if the game is late in the day or at night the lighting may be dramatically different from what we are accustomed to photographing. The field may be arranged differently. Yes, they are not all the same. Some have their own set of rules and all have their own little quirks.

Press boxes and fine dining

In case you didn't know, they do feed us at football games. So, if we want to eat, we had better find the press box.

This is one of the plusses of away games. The food at Beaver Stadium is . . . well, the same hot dogs and soy-pretending-to-be-beef burgers that the fans eat.

Other stadiums serve real food. Other stadiums have nice press boxes with carpeting and real tables. Beaver Stadium does not. That's my prediction for the next phase of stadium expansion, a new press box. The Big Ten big shots will not be pleased with the present structure.

So today at the game check out the sidelines and see what the photographers are doing. It's not as easy as it looks. But, it is the best seat in the house.