All-Sports Museum
Penn State All-Sports Museum—
The History
The All-Sports Museum opened its doors at the southwest end of Beaver Stadium (next to the bookstore) in 2001 as part of the broader stadium expansion project that brought the East Suites and the Mt. Nittany Club to the newly cantilevered south endzone that fall.
The late Lou Prato (PSU Class of 1959) spearheaded the Museum project and served as its first Director from 2001-2005. Prato was considered a Penn State historian who authored 7 books revolving around the football program under Joe Paterno.
The Exhibits
The Museum houses and displays championship trophies, historical artifacts, photos, videos, and memorabilia from every Penn State sport (past & present).
Two of the most important and popular displays include the 1973 Heisman Trophy awarded to John Cappelletti (the only PSU player ever to win it), and the ‘fan photo mosaic’ designed to honor the memory of football legend, Franco Harris (see both below).
The Franco Harris mosaic was unveiled in the Museum lobby on November 12, 2023. The wall is covered with nearly two thousand individual photos/selfies of fans with Franco that blend into a real photo image of Harris taken during the October 16, 1971 game at Syracuse. Lane Stewart snapped the original game photo, and it is used under limited license from Sports Illustrated.
Major Special Exhibits
Penn State’s most ambitious special exhibit was no doubt the one honoring the over 1,200 men and women from then-Penn State College who competed in varsity athletics (or similar) and served in the military in World War II (27 are known to have died in service to the country). The exhibit was called “I am a Penn Stater: Nittany Lions in World War II” and it remained on display for over 3 years (June 10, 2022 through August 15, 2025—ending on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in the Pacific)—See photos from this exhibit below.
Other exhibits have focused on Penn Staters in World War I, and on the photography of PSU grad and longtime professional photographer, Pat Little, who shot Nittany Lions sports from 1977-2005.
Nittany Notes—
The All-Sports Museum has also become known for the creation of large and small collector card sets that are designed to accompany some of their special exhibits…
Their largest card series was part of the equally huge “I am a Penn Stater: Nittany Lions in World War II” exhibit that ran from June 2022 into August 2025. A total of 60 numbered cards (plus an unnumbered header/info card) were issued in 3 series and covered a wide range of Penn Staters of the era (79 in all) who had been varsity athletes, etc., and had served various roles in the US military. The cards were similar in size and card stock quality to typical modern football/baseball cards and were commonly handed out free on gamedays at a tent near the museum entrance and on other days inside the museum itself (until the supply ran out). Cards were frequently rubberbanded together in small groups for easier distribution to fans. The cards featured one, two, or three people (many in their military uniforms) along with brief biographies on the card backs.
Examples of Penn State football players issued (see sample cards below): “Light Horse” Harry Wilson card #4 (Wilson also played football at West Point following his days at State), Victor Gentilman #5, Cass Sisler #11 (the only card front to not have a photo of the person named), Jim Mariades #18, Lloyd Parsons #21, Gil Radcliff #32, Jack Castignola #33, John “Pepper” Petrella & Ted Kratzke shared card #38, Bill Debler #43 (wing leader of the Flying Nittany Lions V-5 Navy Training unit), Steve Hamas & Rowan “Tubby” Crawford shared card #45 (both lettered in 5 different sports at State), John Potsklan #46, Bill Howarth #51, and Ed Czekaj #58 (future PSU Athletic Director)
W. Garfield Thomas (Soccer/PS class of 1938) was the only individual honored on two different cards (#8 & #9) released in the first series of the set (2022-23). Thomas, a Navy Cross recipient, was Killed in Action in 1942.
The final card (#60) which was issued on Memorial Day, May 26, 2025, appropriately honored 1st LT Bob Ernst (PSU class of 1941, Soccer Center-Forward 1938-40) who was Killed in Action on July 10, 1945, when his P-51 Mustang from the 45th Fighter Squadron was shot down over Japan. Ernst was the last of 27 known Penn Staters associated with varsity or similar sports to die in WWII.
Since the WWII card series concluded, the All-Sports Museum issued a “micro-series” of 8 cards (including the header card) featuring the Beaver Stadium photography of Pat Little, and a second “micro-series” on the Nittany Lion mascot. The final card of the initial Pat Little 8-card series (“The Way I Saw It”) was his photo of the mascot with the National Championship trophy taken at the 1983 Blue-White game, and this was also technically the first card of the ensuing mascot series.
