UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., March 6, 2007 -- Head coach Joe Paterno and his staff will again welcome several hundred coaches for Penn State's Annual Football Coaches Clinic, set for April 13-14 on the University Park campus.
The clinic will feature lectures and demonstrations by Paterno and the entire Nittany Lions' staff, who have guided Penn State to 22 wins in its last 27 games, including victories in the 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl and 2007 Outback Bowl. The Nittany Lions have a combined record of 20-5 the past two seasons and are one of only 13 teams in the nation with at least 20 wins during that time.
Rip Scherer, the Assistant Head Coach of the Cleveland Browns, will be a guest speaker at the clinic. Scherer, the former head coach at James Madison and Memphis, is entering his third season with the Browns and also coaches the quarterbacks. His father, Rip Scherer Sr., was a member of Penn State??s undefeated team that played in the 1948 Cotton Bowl. The younger Scherer began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Penn State in 1974.
Penn State??s annual spring gathering traditionally draws more than 800 high school and youth league coaches from all parts of the country and beyond the United States border.
The 2007 spring clinic will feature sessions with the Nittany Lions' offensive and defensive coaching staffs and provide on-field demonstrations with members of the Nittany Lions' squad, which will be in the midst of spring drills. Clinic attendees will have an opportunity to observe a practice on Friday, April 13 and an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday, April 14 in Beaver Stadium.
In addition, the clinic will include a presentation by Penn State??s strength and conditioning staff. A special session on speed and movement with the Nittany Lions?? speed coach also will be offered as part of the program agenda.
The clinic costs $50 per person and includes clinic materials, Friday's dinner and a coaches?? Friday night social in Beaver Stadium.
Coaches interested in attending the clinic can receive further information and a brochure by calling 814-865-0561, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m or by visiting: http://www.outreach.psu.edu/programs/psusportcamps/FootballCoaches/
Penn State also will host five different camp opportunities on the University Park campus in June during its 33rd annual summer football camps. More than 2,000 high school players from across the nation annually attend the camps.
Penn State Football camp information, including registration forms, can be found by visiting: www.pennstatefootballcamps.com or by contacting the Penn State sports camps office at 814-865-0561.
Beginning his 42nd season as head coach, Paterno??s squad returns 15 starters and 33 letterwinners from last year??s 9-4 squad, that posted a 20-10 win over No. 17 Tennessee in the Outback Bowl. The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 24 in the final Associated Press poll and No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches poll, earning their 32nd Top 25 finish under Paterno.
The Nittany Lions have a blockbuster 2007 home schedule that includes five bowl teams from 2006: Notre Dame (Sept. 8), Iowa (Oct. 6), Wisconsin (Oct. 13- Homecoming), Ohio State (Oct. 27) and Purdue (Nov. 3).