Guard The Lion Shrine
For the Penn State Community
The mission of Guard the Lion Shrine is to maintain a long-standing Homecoming week tradition of guarding the lion shrine and putting on related programming events for students, alumni, and friends.
Join us after the Homecoming parade for a night filled with Penn State tradition, fun activities, food, and engaging performances.
Why We Guard
This tradition originated in 1966, when Sue Paterno and a friend secretly covered the shrine in orange latex paint to excite and energize Penn State fans for the Homecoming football game against Syracuse. While their prank washed off easily, Syracuse fans subsequently covered the shrine in oil-based paint, making the removal process more challenging. Ever since, Guarding the Lion Shrine has become a beloved homecoming tradition.
2026 Performances
Join us for an exciting night of performances from members & organizations in the Penn State community:
Blue Band Drum Line
Singing Lion
Vole
Shades of Blue
Statesmen
Rince Na Leon
Essence of Joy
Sue Paterno
Thank you to our 2026 Guard the Lion Shrine team!
Shree Saravanan, CJ Jahn, and Dylan Davidick
