Supporters sign their names on the 409 banner at the Downtown Student Book Store in State College
Downtown State College was busy as usual on Friday before the annual white out game. But there was an extra buzz in the air outside the Student Book Store, where a larger-than-life banner hung, displaying the number “409.”
“There’s a lot of people who believe in this cause,” said Connie Ferreira, an event volunteer. “It’s great to see people coming out and showing their support.”
Connie, along with many other State College residents, headed the Restore the Wins Rally – an effort to restore the 111 vacated wins that belonged to former Penn State football coach, Joe Paterno.
Hundreds of people – students and alumni alike – stopped by the Student Book Store to sign the banner and show support for a cause that has become a rallying cry for the community.
“It’s crazy seeing how things have changed,” said Sam Paulukas, a senior at Penn State. “I was a freshman when everything happened so it’s really cool to see how the community’s come together.”
The Student Book Store gets some extra attention during the rally
However, the rally wasn’t limited to State College alone. Upwards of 20 different locations were taking part in the rally to restore the wins – a sign that the message is growing.
Michelle Hagan organized the event at the Student Book Store and was more than pleased by the overall turnout.
“We’ve had so many people come by that had no idea this was going on and come up and sign the banner,” she said. “It’s been wonderful to see all the positive feedback from the community. It’s just great.”
Once as many people have signed the banner as possible, the banner itself will be presented to the NCAA president, Mark Emmert, at their headquarters in Indianapolis in hopes of sending a message to him and others who voted to vacate Joe Paterno’s wins. For now, however, the fight for 409 carries on.