Joe Battista, the highly successful coach of the Penn State Icers, was named the Executive Director of the Nittany Lion Club in March 2006.
During his initial year as Executive Director, Battista enthusiastically led the charge to increase membership in the Nittany Lion Club beyond 20,000, a goal which was reached and re-set for 21,000 for 2007.
The more than 20,000 members of the Nittany Lion Club make possible grant-in-aid support for more than 500 student-athletes and provide operational support for Penn State??s broad-based 29 varsity sport program.
Battista led the Icers to ACHA national championships in 1990, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and the runner-up position six times, including 2004, 2005 and 2006. He compiled an overall record of 512-120-27 in 19 years as Icers head coach, good for a winning percentage of .800. He won his 500th game with a 6-5 victory over Arizona State during the 2005-06 season.
Battista was named the ACHA Division 1 Coach of the Year twice (1999-2000 and 2001-02) and was Head Coach of Team USA at the World University Games in 2003 in Tarvisio, Italy. He has been inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the Penn Hills Sports Hall of Fame and the Penn State Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
His players excelled in the classroom, regularly earning a team grade point average above 3.0. The Icers boasted an ACHA-best 41 Academic All-Americans since 1995 when he joined the Nittany Lion Club staff. Battista, along with team advisors Dr. Ray Lombra and Dr. Paul Cohen, helped launch the Icers Enhancement Endowment Fund in 1998 and have raised more almost $1 million to date.
Battista attended Penn State and was an original member of the Lion Ambassadors. He also served as President of the Ice Hockey Club, Vice President of Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society and a volunteer for the Second Mile. He played defense for the Icers from 1978-82. He graduated from the Smeal College of Business with a degree in marketing in 1983.
After graduation, he became an assistant to the Marketing Director for the NHL??s Pittsburgh Penguins for three years. He then began coaching at Kent State and Culver (Ind.) Military Academy and as a USA Hockey Player Development and Coaching Certification instructor. He became head coach of the Penn State Icers in 1987.
Battista is a regular on the public speaking circuit with corporations, Penn State alumni chapters and classes, schools and banquets.