Feb. 5, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.-- The Penn State All-Sports Museum at Beaver Stadium will present three features in the month of February highlighting Penn State's legacy of African-American athletes as well as others across the country. The first event is tonight at 6 p.m. with a viewing of The Express, the story of Ernie Davis. All events are free to the public.
Based on the incredible true story, The Express follows college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. Davis was recruited by Syracuse and proceeded to break down one barrier after another on his way to becoming an icon for the burgeoning civil rights movement dividing America in the early 1960s.
The film will run Friday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. and an encore presentation will be shown Saturday, Feb. 6 at Noon, prior to the Nittany Lion basketball game at the Bryce Jordan Center. The film runs 130 minutes.
On February 17 at Noon, Charlie Pittman will recount his story of his time at Penn State. Joe Paterno once said that in order to judge who a college team's best players are, you need to check back in 20 years to see what kind of men they became. Pittman was a member of coach Paterno's first undefeated teams in 1968 and 1969, and went on to become highly successful media executive.
Wrapping up the month's events at the Museum, FIGHT: The Adam Taliaferro story will be shown on February 24 at 5:15 p.m. On September 23, 2000, while playing in only the fifth game of his collegiate career, Adam Taliaferro was paralyzed while making a tackle. After spinal-fusion surgery, Taliaferro was only given a 3% chance of ever walking again. Less than a year after his injury, he led the football team with a skip and a jog onto Beaver Stadium's field for the first game of the 2001 season.
Penn State alum Jerry Moyer and Burke Cherrie formed a unique partnership and decided to make a film titled FIGHT. The film chronicles the stories of 11 everyday people, including Taliaferro, and how they overcame obstacles in their life's journey. Behind the bright lights of nearly every success story are numerous setbacks, challenges, sweat, tears, doubt, and fear. To be successful and to live a truly fulfilled life, one must face and overcome these challenges: fight.
Moyer and Taliaffero will be on hand to discuss the film and the experiences the two of them went through overcoming outstanding obstacles and fighting for success.
The Penn State All-Sports Museum is located at Beaver Stadium on Curtin Road next to the bookstore, across the street from the Bryce Jordan Center.
--NITTANY LIONS--