Nittanyville is about more than the best seats in the house

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — What is a Penn State student to do if they want one of the best seats in Beaver Stadium for a home football game?

Well, of course, camp out!

Nittanyville, a make-shift tent town assembled during the week leading up to each home game, offers students the opportunity to be the first in line for student-section seats, which are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition to achieving a first-rate vantage point for football games, a stay at Nittanyville is packed full of fun and entertainment, including a slam-dunk competition; pep rallies complete with cheerleaders, chants and songs; and visits from Penn State coaches and others delivering free food to the town’s residents.

But beyond the fun and games of the event, which has taken place before each Penn State home game since Ohio State in 2005, positive recognition and awards have evolved.

Penn State is consistently ranked at or near the top of the best student sections across the nation, and Nittanyville is a major reason why. Recent rankings include:

-- No. 1 ranking, Best Student Sections, NCAA, November 2014

-- No. 3 ranking, Best Student Sections, USA Today, November 2014

-- 10 Craziest Student Sections in College Football, Bleacher Report, March 2015

-- Best student section in Big Ten, February 2014

In addition to the high rankings, a video titled “Tent City: Nittanyville” finished first in this year’s statewide AP competition in the student TV category.

History of Nittanyville

The Sunday before the 2005 Ohio State game, 20 tents marked the beginning of Nittanyville, formerly named Paternoville. By the end of the week more than 100 tents had sprung up outside of Beaver Stadium. Since then, Nittanyville has become an official student club with rules and regulations governing the organized camping outside of the stadium’s Gate A in advance of football games.