April 10, 2010
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., April 10, 2010 - Joe Paterno and his staff welcomed approximately 800 coaches for Penn State's Annual Football Coaches Clinic this weekend as the Nittany Lions hit the mid-point of spring practice.
The Coaches Clinic concluded with a practice in Beaver Stadium on a sun-splashed afternoon in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions are scheduled to practice six more times before spring drills conclude with the Blue-White Game presented by AAA on April 24. As in previous years, there is no admission or parking fee for the annual spring contest, which will kick off at 2:00 p.m.
Among the former Nittany Lions attending today's practice were George Landis, Mike Zordich, Yaacov Yisrael and Daryll Clark. Zordich is the defensive quality control coach with the Philadelphia Eagles. His son, Michael, will be a redshirt sophomore running back this fall for the Nittany Lions. Yisrael is an assistant football coach at Halifax (Pa.) High School.
Clark is awaiting the NFL Draft, along with several of his 2009 teammates. The draft begins on Thursday, April 22.
The clinic began Friday and featured lectures and demonstrations by Paterno and the entire Nittany Lions' staff, who have guided Penn State to 51 victories during the past five seasons. Penn State has won two Big Ten Championships and BCS berths since 2005, with victories in the 2010 Capital One Bowl, 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl, 2007 Outback Bowl and the 2007 Valero Alamo Bowl and a berth in the 2009 Rose Bowl.
Penn State's annual spring gathering traditionally draws 800 or more high school and youth league coaches from all parts of the country and beyond the United States border.
One of the nation's premier spring football events, the Blue-White Game will air live on ESPN2, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com. The contest also will air on the Big Ten Network at 5:00 p.m. ET on April 24.
Blue-White Weekend presented by AAA is April 23-24 with numerous free, fan-friendly events adjacent to Beaver Stadium. The celebration of Penn State football will include the popular pre-game autograph session with the players, performances by six high school bands, the announcement of the spring football award winners as well as the recipients of the PNC Bank "Player of the Game" from last season.
The Blue-White Game presented by AAA is one of the nation's most popular spring football contests. The attendance record has fallen each of the past three years, with an estimated crowd of 76,500 flocking to the 2009 contest. An estimated 73,000 fans attended in 2008 and 71,000 in 2007. More than 40,000 fans have attended the game in 11 of the past 14 years, with rainy conditions during the other three contests.
The Nittany Lions earned their second consecutive 11-2 record last season, capped by a win over LSU in the Capital One Bowl, Penn State's fourth bowl victory in the past five seasons. The Nittany Lions were No. 8 in the final USA Today Coaches poll and No. 9 in the Associated Press survey, earning their 23rd final Top 10 ranking under the Hall of Fame coach.
Penn State is 51-13 (79.7) since the start of the 2005 season, tied for the nation's No. 7 winning percentage over that span.
The Nittany Lions return 37 letterwinners for the 2010 season, including 13 starters (7 offense, 5 defense, 1 specialist), as well as 11 players that have starting experience. Penn State opens the season Sept. 4 vs. Youngstown State in Beaver Stadium and visits 2009 national champion Alabama on Sept. 11.