Fans can own a piece of Saturday’s football game legacy — if they’re willing to pay a price.
Penn State Athletics is auctioning the game ball used in Saturday’s game against Northwestern University — Joe Paterno’s 400th win and the biggest comeback in Beaver Stadium history. Bids can be placed at goPSUsports.com.
Bidding began at $25, Stephanie Petulla, associate director of athletic communications, wrote in an e-mail. As of press time on Monday, the highest bid was $1,655, according to the website. 63 bids had been placed as of press time Monday.
That’s a “little too expensive” for students, but still a part of Paterno’s legacy any student would love to own, Dana Robinson said.
Robinson (sophomore-agricultural sciences) said if she had the money, she would pay well over $1,000 for the game ball.
“It’s a valuable piece of memory,” Robinson said.
While some students were worried Penn State might not pull off a victory on Saturday, Robinson said she never doubted that Paterno would earn his 400th win.
Fans have until 5 p.m. Wednesay to submit a bid, according to the website. Bids must include an increase of at least $5 on the previous bid, Petulla wrote.
GoPSUsports.com has been auctioning game balls and other game-used equipment for the past several years, Petulla wrote.
The auction is a way that fans can own a “slice” of the unforgettable Penn State moments, Associate Athletic Director for Marketing Greg Myford said.
This game-used ball is particularly special because of the significance of the game, he said.
“Owning a piece of college football history is an understatement in this case,” Myford said.
Game balls are auctioned from each home game and a few away games, she wrote. Some of the proceeds from the game ball and equipment auctions go to the Football Letterman's Club Scholarship Fund, she added.
Paternoville Vice President John Tecce (junior-marketing) said alumni will pay upwards of millions to own a piece of history. Alumni have a special connection to Paterno, he said, because they have seen him in his prime and watched as he won national championships.
Tecce said he wouldn’t be surprised to see the bidding reach as high as $10,000 — but the game itself was priceless.
“No one was really sure when it was going to happen, especially a couple of weeks ago, but to have the electric feeling from Michigan and carry it into this week,” he said. “It was an incredible feeling.”
