Alumni mixer primed to bring back Penn State memories before Iowa game

Editor’s note: The Alumni Association and a local alumni chapter traditionally co-host a mixer the night before each away football game. This season, the Alumni Association will spotlight alumni volunteer leaders as they prepare for these events that bring together Penn State alumni, fans and friends. 

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Herb Meier still remembers cheering on the Penn State football team as a student.  

“It seems like it was a lot different back then — the track was still around the field and that stadium wasn’t as big, and I don’t think the tailgating was quite as extensive as it is now,” said Meier, a 1973 Penn State alumnus.  

“But it was still fun getting up in the morning and heading over to the stadium and being in the student section and cheering, just very enjoyable and watching some of the players that came through.”

Meier mentioned Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti and Franco Harris as notable Nittany Lions he saw play.

There are plenty of other vivid memories Meier has from his days as a student, so it’s no surprise that he’s ready for the football team’s game at Iowa on Sept. 23. Meier serves as president of the Penn State Alumni Association’s Central Iowa Chapter, which will co-host a mixer the night before the game. Tickets can be purchased tickets on the chapter's website.

The Alumni Association co-hosts the event, and per tradition, the Pep Band, Penn State cheerleaders and Nittany Lions will energize fans who don't often see this type of up-close fanfare in their hometown. 

The entire Blue Band typically travels to one away game each season, with a 16-member ensemble Pep Band traveling to all the other games. The students perform for Penn Staters who’ve come together at a mixer on Friday night, and the Alumni Association funds the Pep Band’s travel expenses.  

Seeing the band, cheerleaders and Nittany Lion anywhere is pretty cool, though when everything comes together in say, East Lansing, Piscataway, or any other Big Ten pit stop, such as Iowa City, it’s especially memorable.

“It’s pretty special, because you don’t get to see it or experience it too much in Iowa,” Meier said. “To me, it really helps you get excited for the game, and it brings back some fond memories. I think of being back at games when I was on campus. It’s a special time, and it’s fun and enjoyable to see them and hear them.”

Meier, who studied at Penn State Schuylkill for two years before finishing his health and human development degree at University Park, has lived in Iowa for the past 25-plus years. He’s retired after working in accounting with private businesses for 36 years, in addition to having served as a tax auditor with the IRS. He was involved when the chapter officially became chartered in the early 1990s, and the chapter includes graduates from the 1950s/1960s, all the way up to the 2000s.

Chapter members bought about 30 tickets for the game at Kinnick Stadium, where the Alumni Association will host the premier gameday tailgate prior to kickoff. You can click here to register, and also visit the Alumni Association’s events page to find information on additional tailgates this season. In addition to holding watch parties throughout the year, Meier said the alumni chapter has started to organize more activities to sustain and build interest. This year, for example, there was a holiday party and a trip to a local shop that makes their ice cream in-house.

Meier said there’s been an increase in interest and chatter about the football team, in part because of the resurgent success, and also because the team is playing at Iowa, a cross-divisional Big Ten foe that Penn State doesn’t face every year. The Hawkeyes visited Beaver Stadium last season, though the last time the Nittany Lions played at Iowa was five years ago.

And that presents a rather significant off-the-field opportunity for Meier and the chapter, in the form of their mixer the night before the game.

“It’s important that when you get new people, you get them interested and explain to them what other things we offer,” said Meier, who previously served as chapter treasurer before accepting the position of president last year.

“We’re hoping 150 people will come. We’ll get people ready for the game and get them excited for it, and show them that there is a Penn State presence in central Iowa.”

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