March 29, 2013
March 27, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Building on Penn State's "One Team" inaugural year momentum, highlighting the highly successful first season under football coach Bill O'Brien and looking ahead to 2013, the Penn State Coaches Caravan tour begins another road trip April 30 with visits to 12 locations during two weeks this spring.
O'Brien will headline the bus tour of many Penn State alumni strongholds across Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic. The 2012 Bear Bryant and Maxwell Football Club national Coach of the Year will participate in all 12 Coaches Caravan stops and will be joined by other head coaches at each event. The April 30 opening stop at the Penn State Berks campus in Reading is sold out.
Three more dynamic Penn State mentors are set to join O'Brien on the Coaches Caravan during the first week (April 30-May 2). The coaches participating during the second week (May 7-9) of the tour are to be announced.
Fresh off Penn State's third consecutive NCAA Wrestling Championship, coach Cael Sanderson is scheduled to participate in all six Coaches Caravan events from April 30-May 2. In his four seasons as head coach at Penn State, Sanderson has guided the Nittany Lions to their first three Big Ten titles and the program's first NCAA Championships (2011-13) since 1953. The 2013 NWCA National Coach of the Year, he has coached six national champions, 13 Big Ten champions and 19 All-Americans the past four years. Sanderson has a superb 100-19-2 dual meet record in seven years as a head coach.
Nittany Lion basketball coach Patrick Chambers will participate in the April 30 Coaches Caravan events in Reading (lunch) and Philadelphia (evening) and the May 1 events in Baltimore (lunch) and Washington, D.C. (evening). Entering his third year at Penn State, Chambers has turned his passion and energy into a compelling rise in the coaching ranks. In his first two seasons leading the Nittany Lions, he has guided guard Tim Frazier to first-team All-Big Ten honors and instilled a passionate, relentless attitude and positive culture that has Penn State pointed toward a breakout campaign in 2013-14 with more than 80 percent of its scoring, rebounding and assists returning to the team.
Men's Basketball Head Coach Patrick Chambers |
Women's volleyball coach Russ Rose will attend Coaches Caravan events May 2 in Lancaster (lunch) and Camp Hill (evening). Rose has led Penn State to five NCAA Championships, including an unprecedented four consecutive titles from 2007-10. Entering his 35th year as the Nittany Lions' head coach, Rose has guided Penn State to 15 Big Ten Championships and owns a superlative career record of 1,091-175 (86.2). A member of the AVCA Hall of Fame, Rose has directed Penn State to 32 consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, one of only two programs to do so. He has coached 34 Nittany Lions to a total of 75 All-America honors.
At each Coaches Caravan stop, Penn State alumni and fans will have the opportunity to hear from Coach O'Brien and at least one other head coach and ask questions about the Nittany Lions' nationally recognized 31-sport athletic program at a lunch or evening event.
Jointly sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association and the Nittany Lion Club, Coaches Caravan registration is underway at www.alumni.psu.edu/coachescaravan and www.GoPSUsports.com. More than 2,000 Penn State alumni and fans signed up for Caravan stops during the first two weeks of registration, with the Reading event reaching capacity in four days. Advance registration is required for all Coaches Caravan events.
The Penn State Coaches Caravan, kicks off Tuesday, April 30, with a luncheon in Reading and an evening reception in Philadelphia at the Hyatt at The Bellevue. On May 1, the Coaches Caravan will stop in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and on May 2, Caravan events will be held in Lancaster and Camp Hill. During the Caravan's first week, the luncheons will begin at 11:30 a.m and the evening receptions will start at 7:00 p.m.
The second week of the Coaches Caravan begins May 7 with a luncheon at Penn College of Technology in Williamsport and an evening reception at the Lehigh Valley Holiday Inn Conference Center in Breinigsville. On May 8, the Caravan will visit New York City and Scranton and on May 9, Caravan events will be held at Penn State DuBois and Pittsburgh. During the second week, the New York City lunch will begin at 12:00 p.m. and the receptions in the Lehigh Valley and Pittsburgh will begin at 6:00 p.m.
For the second consecutive year, the Coaches Caravan will be a part of the Penn State Alumni Association's Greater Scranton Chapter annual scholarship dinner at Genetti Manor. The reception on May 8 begins at 6:30 p.m. and dinner is at 7:30 p.m. Last year's Scranton event drew a crowd of 900-plus.
O'Brien and his fellow head coaches have championed Penn State's "One Team" philosophy this year, with the 31 varsity teams, athletics, campuses, communities and constituencies all playing a role in the Nittany Lions' academic and athletic success. Penn State has captured a school record seven Big Ten Championships thus far in 2012-13, while earning an NCAA Graduation Rate of 88 percent and a school record 100 Academic All-Big Ten honorees among the fall sport student-athletes.
The 2013 Penn State Coaches Caravan stops are:
For the second consecutive year, Fullington Tours will provide a customized coach to transport all the Coaches Caravan participants throughout the 12-stop tour.
| The 2013 Coaches Caravan stops are: | ||
| April 30 | Penn State Berks; Reading (lunch) | SOLD OUT |
| Philadelphia (evening reception) | Click Here to Register | |
| May 1 | Baltimore (lunch) | Click Here to Register |
| Washington, D.C. (evening reception) | Click Here to Register | |
| May 2 | Lancaster, Pa. (lunch) | Click Here to Register |
| Harrisburg, Pa. (evening reception) | Click Here to Register | |
| May 7 | Penn College of Technology; Williamsport (lunch) | Click Here to Register |
| Allentown, Pa. (evening reception) | Click Here to Register | |
| May 8 | New York City (lunch) | Click Here to Register |
| Scranton, Pa. (evening event) | Click Here to Register *Registration for this event is being handled by the Alumni Association's Greater Scranton Chapter | |
| May 9 | Penn State DuBois (lunch) | Click Here to Register |
| Pittsburgh (evening reception) | Click Here to Register | |