Aug. 2, 2010
FOLLOW BIG TEN MEDIA DAY AND KICK-OFF LUNCHEON COVERAGE HERE
CHICAGO - Coach Joe Paterno, cornerback D'Anton Lynn (Celina, Texas), running back Evan Royster (Fairfax, Va.), and guard Stefen Wisniewski (Bridgeville, Pa.) met with members of the print, television, and radio media on Monday during the opening session of the 2010 Big Ten Football Media Days and Kickoff Luncheon in Chicago.
Paterno made his first appearance of the day during a 15-minute scheduled press conference in front of the assembled media numbering in the hundreds. The Hall of Fame coach, who is entering his 45th year at the helm of the Penn State program, spoke to a variety of topics, including the much-anticipated game with SEC powerhouse Alabama in Tuscaloosa in week two of the 2010 season.
"I think it's a good game for us. It's a good game early. I have a young team. Obviously we've got some growing up to do. And I think to be able to go with a bunch of kids and go down there and play defending national champion and on the road before a very hostile crowd will be a good experience. We'll be a better football team for it."
Another highlight of the day's events occurred when Coach Paterno posed for photos with Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany and Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne. The two former gridiron adversaries spoke in private back stage for 10 minutes before taking center stage with Delany for the photo opportunity. During his press conference, Paterno addressed the addition of the Cornhuskers to the Big Ten.
"We had played Nebraska before we got into the Big Ten, and I had some great, great games with them. And I have tremendous amount of respect for not only Tom but the University of Nebraska. So I think it's a really good addition to the Big Ten."
Among the hot topics widely discussed throughout the session included potential further Big Ten expansion, conference division alignment, and a football championship game in 2011. During his afternoon press conference, Jim Delany gave assurance that the Big Ten will not be changing its name despite the number of member teams, commenting "The Big Ten is the Big Ten regardless of the number."
It was also announced on Monday that Penn State was the winner of the inaugural Big Ten Network "Bobblethon", earning $10,000 for the Penn State Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. Fans of all Big Ten schools tapped their favorite virtual bobblehead nearly a million times during the five-month promotion that kicked off during the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament with Penn State edging Michigan by fewer than 3,000 votes.
Tuesday's events begin with a two-hour, one-on-one session with print and radio reporters for coaches and players starting at 9 a.m. ET. Players will then take part in the annual autograph session with Kickoff Luncheon attendees from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET while the Big Ten Football Saturday crew of Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith will sit down with conference coaches to get their thoughts just days ahead of preseason camp. These interviews will be featured on a 90-minute Big Ten Kickoff Special that will air at 2 p.m. ET on August 7. The 39th Annual Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon, emceed by ESPN's Rece Davis at 12:30 p.m. ET, wraps up the two days of events.