Fifty years later, they are still celebrating.

A party that started 50 years ago on the floor of Rec Hall found itself at the Nittany Lion Inn late Friday night. The party honored the 1953 National Champion Penn State Wrestling team-still the only eastern team to ever win a National Championship.

"I think it's awfully important that we celebrate history," said current Penn State Director of Athletics Tim Curley.

"Sometimes you get caught up in trying to make history."

Nine members of the National Championship team made the trip back to Happy Valley, where they were recognized for their accomplishment during the Penn State-Minnesota wrestling match.

The returning heroes watched and cheered for the current squad as they came heart-breakingly close to making their own history.

The Nittany Lions came within four points of upsetting the two-time defending National Champion Golden Gophers.

Many times during the night, the crowd exploded with enthusiasm and energy as the Lions came up with shocking victory after victory. But it was not meant to be.

The returning Lions returned to their cramped, yet venerable, old stomping grounds with some extra pounds and a little less hair, but their steely-eyed glares and championship heart have not faded a bit.

After the match, the teammates, their friends, family and fans, current players and coaches met at the Inn for some speeches, tales and narratives of a time that, for some, was not so long ago.

"It's great!" former captain Don Frey said of being back. He slowly looked around, sizing up the night like it was a rival opponent.

"It's kind of shocking, seeing all these people," he said. Pride was beginning to take hold.

As the night wore on and the crowd began to dwindle, Frey, along with his identical twin brother Doug and the other wrestlers signed autographs and posed for pictures with some younger fans as well as some more experienced fans.

A friendly banter between the brothers began over which one was the better wrestler. They smiled, enjoying being at the center of attention once again.

Most of the night the dimly lit room was filled with people sitting around tables and recalling fond memories- and not just wrestling.

The Frey's, who live in Crystal Lake, and their friends talked fondly about their fraternities, studies and their friends.

"Nobody was fighting each other," Frey said, his hands on his hips, and a twinkle still in his eye. "We just loved each other. It's not that we had three guys who were National Champions, but we had a team with many All-Americans"

The tables were topped with chips, ice cream cups, fruit, and drinks.

But that was not what the people came for.

They did not come to hear about statistics or fame.

They came for the history that hung in the air.

"There is such a rich heritage here," said Penn State senior Ryan Cummins. "There have been a lot of tough teams and that's the best one."

They came for the memories clinging to each story.

They came for the people behind the stats; numbers are not the attraction here.

Frey's twin Doug could not help but reflect on the changes as he stood on the mat earlier that night.

"It was great standing in the Hall and saying, 'did I look at those lights,' " Doug said of the lights that put the team once again in the spotlight.

The team was brought back to the attention of the Penn State faithful because of the work of the Penn State wrestling team's booster club.

Connie Christianson organized the event. Planning started in August, she said.

Christianson made a memory book with photos of the team, which went on a trolly car tour of the area, she said.

The mood turned somber as the crowd was asked for a moment of silence to remember the wrestlers who could not be there.

The memories of the late wrestlers packed the room.

The crowd and the wrestlers could not stop sharing memories.

Although some of the champions did not appreciate their feat when it happened, they still recall the joy of that day.

"At the time I didn't have the history of competition," said Bill Shawley, who lives in Bellefonte.

"So I probably didn't appreciate it. But it felt great."

Shawley, his teammates and their fans did appreciate that championship season Friday night.