Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsSaturday, June 20, 2026

Penn State Riot: Student Protest Grows After Joe Paterno Fired

Penn State students took to the street on Wednesday night after head coach Joe Paterno was fired, effective immediately, by the Board of Trustees. Paterno is a beloved figure in State College, and the news that he was out as head coach triggered a huge gathering in downtown State College. Students took to the streets, and have been rallying in protest -- some screaming “We Want Joe” -- since the move was announced.

A few photos from the scene can be found below. The first should give you a sense of what’s going on in State College, and involves a “look at me” moment.

Fwhkc_medium

Via KegsNEggs

Ad3eh5_caaaivjn_medium

via Daily Collegian

Ad3elgnciaaay6a_medium

via Daily Collegian

Lastly, this view of the situation as it stands now, which shows the magnitude of the gathering in State College.

Ad3hkldceaekrcp_medium

via Jon Wertheim

This clearly looks like a situation about to get out of hand. While one could classify this as college students being college students, there’s no need for a potentially destructive gathering on top of everything else that’s rocked the Penn State community recently. It’s already bad enough; the students -- who are probably a small representation of the Penn State community at large -- rallying and protesting in the streets are making the situation worse.

For more on the situation that continues to develop at State College, visit SB Nation’s Penn State blog, which has been on the forefront of the story from the beginning, Black Shoe Diaries, and revisit this storystream for updates.

See More:

More in General

GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
An SB Nation New Yorker needs our helpAn SB Nation New Yorker needs our help
GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
General
Sabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world recordSabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world record
General

The mythical two-hour mark was broken at the London Marathon.

By Bernd Buchmasser
A Huge Dog
THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1
Play
General
Super Bowl 60 coin toss resultsSuper Bowl 60 coin toss results
General

The Seahawks and Patriots will open the Super Bowl with the coin toss to determine who starts with the ball. We have the full coin toss results for Super Bowl 60.

By David Fucillo
General
Marc Marquez completes a comeback for the agesMarc Marquez completes a comeback for the ages
General

MotoGP’s Marc Marquez completed a comeback for the ages with his 2025 title

By Mark Schofield
General
How to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search resultsHow to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search results