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Penn State announced Wednesday that it will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Joe Paterno’s first game as head coach, which coincides with the football team’s Sept. 17 game against Temple at Beaver Stadium. Paterno made his debut as Penn State’s head coach Sept. 17, 1966.

The athletic department did not announce specific plans, saying only that “activities during the game will take place to commemorate Joe Paterno’s first game as the head football coach at Penn State.” A spokesman said that the athletic department planned no further comment beyond the announcement.

Penn State President Eric Barron and Athletic Director Sandy Barbour have said previously that the university would recognize Paterno at an appropriate time.

Penn State made the plan public as part of a larger announcement regarding themes for football home games. In addition to commemorating Paterno’s first game as head coach, Penn State will recognize its annual Dance Marathon, which raises money for pediatric cancer research, and offer special ticket prices for police, fire and EMT personnel as well as faculty and staff.

The game also will mark Penn State’s second ‘Stripe Out,’ in which fans will be asked to wear blue or white, depending on their seat sections, to produce a stripe effect at Beaver Stadium.

In addition, former Penn State football players will hold a reunion Sept. 16 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, the baseball field adjacent to Beaver Stadium. Several hundred lettermen are expected to attend the private event, dubbed “Grand Experiment: A Golden Legacy.”

The reunion, which is not a university-affiliated event, is being organized by the Paterno family and a group of lettermen. Proceeds will benefit the Lettermen Club’s Joe and Sue Paterno Post-Graduate Scholarship, which awards grants to football players to attend graduate school.