Aug. 4, 2010
CHICAGO; - Coach Joe Paterno and a trio of standout Penn State student-athletes spent the second day of Big Ten Kickoff activities meeting with the media, signing autographs and attending the 39th Annual Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon.
Pre-season All-Americans Evan Royster (Fairfax, Va.) and Stefen Wisniewski (Bridgeville) and junior cornerback D'Anton Lynn (Celina, Texas) joined Paterno in meeting with the more than 400 media in attendance to begin the day. The players then signed autographs and took photos with fans, while Paterno was interviewed by the Big Ten Network's studio team of Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith nearby.
A crowd of approximately 1,800 visited with players and coaches from every Big Ten institution before the luncheon began at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago. The Big Ten is preparing for its 115th season of football competition.
Gene Honda, the public address voice of the NCAA Final Four and Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament, got the luncheon underway by introducing every head coach and all 33 players to the enthusiastic throng. ESPN's Rece Davis served as Master of Ceremonies and introduced each coach, who spoke for 3-4 minutes each about their teams and Big Ten Football.
Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany also spoke and praised former Commissioner Wayne Duke for launching the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon in 1971. The Big Ten is the only Bowl Championship Series conference which holds a season kickoff lunch that fans can attend.
For extensive Penn State coverage from both days of Big Ten Kickoff, go to: www.gopsusports.com/2010-kickoff
The Big Ten Network will air Tuesday's interview with Paterno and all the head coaches during its Big Ten Football Kickoff Special, which debuts Saturday, August 7 at 2:00 p.m. The Kickoff Special re-airs Saturday at 7:30 p.m., followed by Penn State's dramatic win over LSU in the 2010 Capital One Bowl.
The John Cappelletti bobble-head on display |
The Big Ten Network is available to 75 million households on 300 cable, satellite and telco providers in the United States and Canada, but is not available on Adams, Armstrong, Blue Ridge and MetroCast cable in Pennsylvania. More than 35,000 Penn State alumni live in communities served by the four cable providers.
The Nittany Lions are entering their 18th season of Big Ten competition. Penn State has earned one of the nation's Top 10 records since the start of the 2005 season, posting a 51-13 (79.7) mark, tied for No. 7 nationally. The Nittany Lions posted their second consecutive 11-2 record last year, finishing No. 9 in the Associated Press poll, earning their 23rd Top 10 finish under Coach Joe Paterno. The Nittany Lions are 10-3 in post-season contests since starting conference play in 1993.
Penn State returns 36 letterwinners and 13 starters for the 2010 campaign, as well as 10 players with starting experience. The Nittany Lions begin practice Thursday and host Youngstown State on Sept. 4 (12:00 p.m., Big Ten Network) to open the season and visit 2009 BCS National Champion on Sept. 11 (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN).