It was my first Penn State game that I ever went to, and I very well thought that it would be my last. I hated Penn State football and wanted them to lose to Michigan so I could rub it into my sisters face who was a Penn State junior at the time. I grew up a Notre Dame fan because my whole family grew up just hours away from South Bend, Indiana. All my friends in Hershey loved Penn State and I never really knew why. I thought their football was average and the school shady considering what happened two years prior.  I’m sure it didn’t help that my brother brainwashed me that Pitt was better since he was a current student there.

All it took was a white out game and a kid named Allen Robinson.

Late in the fourth quarter Allen rose up over a Michigan defender to send the game into overtime. I knew from that catch that there wasn’t any possible way that Penn State was losing. They ended up winning in a 4 overtime thriller, but this game was more than just a big win. Penn State was heading back towards what they were and the stardom of Allen Robinson was born. And that moment started my secret Penn State fandom.

This moment is iconic, Allen himself even has a tattoo of this picture on himself. Allen isn’t just a kid who caught a ball in a big game, he represents all of us in a way. He represents that we culminate each of our individual stories, Penn State the greatest university in the world.

It all started in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Allen was constantly being suspended from middle school for his behavior which diminished his overall academic success. He was looking forward to going to the local public high school with the friends he had grown up with, but his parents insisted that he go to a private school over a hour away from his house so he could steer clear of his life heading down the wrong path. He was so against attending this all boys prep school until one of his middle school teachers told him that he wouldn’t be able to get in. After hearing that, he committed to his parents vision and attended the private school.

It was difficult at first. He played on the freshman football and basketball teams during his first year when he would have been playing varsity at most other public schools. During the summer after his freshman year he hit a growth spurt from 5’8” to 6’2″ which left his body in so much pain that he wasn’t able to play football. Junior year he was back at full health and that’s when he knew that he had the possibility of attending a major school to play either basketball or football. He had an offer to play both sports at Michigan State but he ultimately decided on Penn State to focus on just football because he thought that would give him the best chance for financial success in order to help out his mom in the future. Despite his pure talent and athleticism, he is a very quiet student of the game. He spends over 6 hours a day studying film because he believes that gives him the best chance to win. He can’t stand losing.

That competitive spirit was always with him. During his three years at Penn State, he caught 17 touchdowns and received over 2,515 yards, which is top 3 in school history. What may be more impressive however is his dominance in the IM basketball league where he averaged over 60 points. He may be quiet and humble, but his competitive spirit has brought upon many wins in his life. He is a current member of the Chicago Bears and is expected to sign a contract worth around 100 million dollars. He is regarded as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and is expected to break more records with the Bears.

It all started with that teacher telling him “He can’t.” Sometimes doubt is our greatest gift.