Submitted photo A complete set of this year’s Citizens Bank Penn State buttons. Marking 50 years since they were first distributed by Central Counties Bank, the current set honors Penn State’s original colors.
BURNHAM — Fridays are normally paydays for tellers at Citizens Bank, which means they’re busy cashing paychecks for customers.
They might pale in comparison to Wednesdays, which are considered game days at Citizens Bank branches in Mifflin, Centre and Blair counties. The craze for game-day Penn State booster buttons is unleashed on tellers, like a blitzing linebacker on a defenseless quarterback.
“I was always anxious making sure I got the buttons each week there was a home game because getting them was a high priority,” said Frank Zook of Reedsville. “Proudly wearing those blue buttons with the clever, catchy slogans was kind of a good luck charm and a significant part of our tailgating group’s game-day attire.”
Fans flock to Citizen Bank branches each Wednesday as a new Penn State button is released during the college football season for that week’s opponent.
“One of the bank managers was a softball teammate, and he got me hooked up for the weekly button drop,” Zook added. “I had to get there as quickly as I could after work before they ran out.”
For the past 21 years, Citizens Bank has provided customers with the ubiquitous game-day booster buttons.
You’ve surely seen them before — small circular buttons with a goofy, pun-related slogan about the Nittany Lions beating the next opponent on their football schedule.
This season, the first button, “Leaky Boilers,” debuted just in time for Penn State’s opener at Purdue on September 1.
It was followed by “Bobcan’ts” for Ohio University, “Here Kitty Kitty” for the Auburn game, “Chip-A-Who?” for Central Michigan, “NorthWORSTern” for Northwestern and most recently “WolverWhines” for Michigan, today’s opponent.
Traditionally blue and white, this year’s buttons are pink and black to celebrate the 50th overall season they are being distributed to fans. Pink and black were Penn State’s initial team colors.
Originally, the button-making began in 1972 when Central Counties Bank created a handful of Penn State bank pins and left them out for people to pick up after utilizing the bank’s services.
“I always got them from Central Counties Bank in State College,” Zook said. “They would save me a sleeve of them because I had many people at our tailgate who wanted them.”
At first, the bank wasn’t certain how the idea would be received and left its logo off the pins. Also, they were only made for the first six home games of the season just in case the idea was a bust.
The first buttons were gobbled up so fast and demand became so high that the bank authorized a second run of the last four buttons, and this time, added its logo to the pin.
Demand only grew from there, and the bank saw that it’s plain pin with only a green cardboard backing needed an upgrade. For the last two pins of the season, it issued a third variation, and this version used a metal backing that has remained the standard today.
The simple buttons have become staple Penn State collectibles. They’re free for all fans who come into the bank — not just for Citizens Bank customers.
Individual buttons are available by donating a non-perishable food item that will go directly to an area food bank. They are available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.
There have been minor changes in the sponsoring bank, fonts, logos and year placement over the years, but, for the most part, the buttons have stayed the same.
The slogans are clever, funny and even a bit sassy. For example, the button for last season’s season opener against Wisconsin was “Moldy Cheese,” which pays homage to the state’s long history of cheese production.
There was also “Mich-Mashed” from for the Nittany Lions’ Big Ten rival Michigan Wolverines or even “OH NO” for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The 2021 season featured a total of 13 buttons, as there were 12 regular season and 1 bowl game.
The buttons are given out at 26 Citizens Bank branches in the Central Pennsylvania region.
How famous are those game-day Penn State booster buttons? Maybe not as famous as the legendary Joe Paterno or the Nittany Lion mascot.
But there’s still a popular 160-page paperback book written about these buttons that puts fans into a collectible frenzy.
In 2004, “The Penn State Football Button Book” was published by Triumph Books and written by Martin and Russell Ford. It celebrates the legacy of Paterno and glorious history of Penn State football in a unique style unlike any other book ever written.
The entire collection of game day booster buttons — from 1972 to 2004 — is used to chronicle the history of Penn State football.
Fans can purchase a complete set of buttons for $20 per set. Proceeds benefit the Food Bank of the State College Area Inc.
Please send a request that includes:
• Address (with city, state and zip code)
• Check made payable to the Food Bank of the State College Area Inc.
Mail your request to Penn State Buttons, Citizens Bank, 1900 S. Atherton St., State College, PA 16801. Complete button sets are available while supplies last.
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