April 12, 2013
April 11, 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 and will be joined by head basketball coach Patrick Chambers on six stops of the tour. O'Brien, 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.
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 2,600 Penn State alumni and fans signed up for Caravan stops during the first three weeks of registration, with the April 30 Reading event reaching capacity in four days. Advance registration is required for all Coaches Caravan events.
Three more dynamic Penn State mentors are set to join O'Brien on the Coaches Caravan during the second week of the tour (May 7-9). During the first week (April 30-May 2), Patrick Chambers (men's basketball), Russ Rose (women's volleyball) and Cael Sanderson (wrestling) will join O'Brien for selected stops.
Chambers will participate in the May 8 Coaches Caravan luncheon in New York City and the evening event in Scranton, in addition to the April 30 (Reading and Philadelphia) and May 1 (Baltimore and Washington, D.C.) events during the first week. 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. Among the Nittany Lions' victories this past season was an 84-78 decision over Michigan, the NCAA Tournament runner-up. Penn State's 84 points were the most Michigan allowed in a regulation game in 2012-13.
Field hockey head coach Char Morett |
Field hockey coach Char Morett will participate in the May 7 Coaches Caravan events at the Penn College of Technology in Williamsport (lunch) and Lehigh Valley (evening). She also will attend the May 8 event in New York City (lunch). In 2012, Morett led Penn State to its sixth Big Ten Championship, as well as its sixth Big Ten Tournament title, earning a 16-4 record and the No. 3 final regular season ranking. A five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, she has a career record of 444-173-17 entering her 30th season as a head coach. A three-time All-American and two-time Olympian as a player, Morett's mark with the Nittany Lions is 408-158-8 entering her 27th season at her alma mater.
Men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik will attend all six Coaches Caravan events from May 7-9, which includes the May 9 luncheon at the Penn State DuBois campus. Pavlik is in his 19th season at the helm of the Penn State program. He has guided the Nittany Lions to 18 of their 29 EIVA Championships, including in 2013, enabling the Nittany Lions to host the EIVA Tournament for the 15th straight season. The Nittany Lions aim to make their 15th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship after advancing to the NCAA semifinals in 2012 for the 27th time. Pavlik owns a career record of 452-133 and led Penn State to the 2008 NCAA title.
Russ Rose will participate in the May 2 Coaches Caravan events in Lancaster and Harrisburg. Cael Sanderson will join the Caravan on May 1 and participate in the last four events during the first week (Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Lancaster and Harrisburg). He will not be able to participate on April 30 as previously announced due to the Big Ten Wrestling Coaches annual meeting.
Men's basketball head coach Patrick Chambers |
The Penn State Coaches Caravan, kicks off Tuesday, April 30, with a sold out 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 the 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, the Caravan will conclude with events 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 events and coaches attending (subject to change):
April 30
Penn State Berks; Reading (lunch-SOLD OUT)
Coaches: Patrick Chambers, Bill O'Brien
Philadelphia (evening reception)
Coaches: Patrick Chambers, Bill O'Brien
May 1
Baltimore (lunch)
Coaches: Patrick Chambers, Bill O'Brien, Cael Sanderson
Washington, D.C. (evening reception)
Coaches: Patrick Chambers, Bill O'Brien, Cael Sanderson
May 2
Lancaster (lunch)
Coaches: Bill O'Brien, Russ Rose, Cael Sanderson
Harrisburg/Camp Hill (evening reception)
Coaches: Bill O'Brien, Russ Rose, Cael Sanderson
May 7
Penn College of Technology; Williamsport (lunch)
Coaches: Char Morett, Bill O'Brien, Mark Pavlik
Allentown/Breinigsville (evening reception)
Coaches: Char Morett, Bill O'Brien, Mark Pavlik
May 8
New York City (lunch)
Coaches: Patrick Chambers, Char Morett, Bill O'Brien
Scranton (evening event)
Coaches: Patrick Chambers, Mark Pavlik, Bill O'Brien,
May 9
Penn State DuBois (lunch)
Coaches: Bill O'Brien, Mark Pavlik
Pittsburgh (evening reception)
Coaches: Bill O'Brien, Mark Pavlik
For the second consecutive year, Fullington Tours will provide a customized coach to transport all the Coaches Caravan participants throughout the 12-stop tour.