March 24, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Building on his mission to "Dominate The State," Penn State football coach James Franklin and several head coaches will embark on the Penn State Coaches Caravan tour in May, with stops in 17 locales. Thirteen of the 17 events will take place in Pennsylvania, including five on Penn State campuses, with additional stops in Baltimore, New Jersey, New York City and Washington, D.C.
As a benefit of membership, Penn State Alumni Association and Nittany Lion Club members have the opportunity to begin registering for Coaches Caravan events today, before the Caravan is open to the general public. Members will receive details directly via e-mail. Registration for the general public opens March 31, and online registration sites and information will be distributed that day.
Advance registration is required for all events on the Penn State Coaches Caravan, which is jointly sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association and the Nittany Lion Club.
Franklin is scheduled to participate in all 17 Coaches Caravan stops and will be joined by other Penn State head coaches on the tour. At each event, Penn Staters will be treated to a message from the Nittany Lions' head coach and at least one other Penn State head coach and have the opportunity to ask questions about the Nittany Lions' nationally recognized 31-sport athletic department. Each stop will feature a meet and greet with Franklin and the other Nittany Lion head coaches during the lunch or evening receptions prior to the programs. Members of the Penn State football coaching staff may also attend selected events.
The line-up of head coaches joining Franklin on the Penn State Coaches Caravan is being confirmed for each event and will be announced in early April. Nittany Lion football assistant coaches also will attend selected Caravan events as their May recruiting schedule permits.
Five of the Coaches Caravan events will be held on Penn State campuses, starting Thursday, May 1 with an evening reception at the spectacular Pegula Ice Arena on the University Park campus. The Coaches Caravan also will stop at Penn State York; Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus (Uniontown); the Pennsylvania College of Technology (Williamsport) and Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.
The May 21 lunch event will be held in East Stroudsburg, Pa. at East Stroudsburg University, Franklin's alma mater.
"Our staff is so appreciative of the tremendous welcome from Nittany Nation," Franklin said. "The pride and passion for Penn State, the football program and all our teams are very obvious. We are looking forward to getting around Pennsylvania and the region to visit with all of our proud Penn Staters! The opportunity to share our vision for this program and bring this family back together excites our entire staff!"
Franklin was named the Nittany Lions' 16th head football coach on Jan. 11. A product of Langhorne, Pa., Franklin led Vanderbilt University to unprecedented success the past three years as head coach, including consecutive nine-win seasons and bowl victories the past two years, as well as back-to-back Top 25 finishes, all for the first time in VU history. In his 20th year of coaching, Franklin was a two-time All-PSAC quarterback at East Stroudsburg.
The Nittany Lions are in the midst of spring practice, which culminates with the Blue-White Game presented by AAA at 1:30 p.m. on April 12.
Following the May 1 kickoff event at Pegula Ice Arena, the Penn State Coaches Caravan customized coach will roll out of Happy Valley on May 6 for events in York and Hershey, followed by stops in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. (May 7) and Uniontown and Pittsburgh (May 8) during the first full week. The Coaches Caravan will visit Nittany Nation strongholds across Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic through May 22.
For the third consecutive year, the Coaches Caravan will be a part of the Penn State Alumni Association's Greater Scranton Chapter annual scholarship dinner. The event is May 14 at Fiorelli Catering in Peckville, with the reception starting at 6:30 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 p.m. The last two Scranton area events have drawn crowds of 900-plus.
During each of the Coaches Caravan events, Franklin will meet with alumni and fans and talk about his core values for the program, vision for Penn State football and preparations for the 2014 season, as well as how all Penn State alumni and fans can help build on Penn State football's tradition of excellence.
Franklin will be joined by head coaches who have helped champion Penn State's "One Team" philosophy, with the 31 varsity teams, athletics, 24 campuses, communities and constituencies all playing a role in the Nittany Lions' academic and athletic success. Penn State has captured seven Big Ten Championships and three NCAA titles thus far in 2013-14, with 15 Big Ten crowns the past two years, while earning an NCAA Graduation Rate of 88 percent.
The 2014 Coaches Caravan schedule of events and locations:
May 1 State College/University Park-Pegula Ice Arena (Evening reception)
May 6 York/Penn State York (Lunch)
Hershey/Hershey Lodge (Evening reception)
May 7 Baltimore/Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards (Lunch)
Washington, D.C./Washington Marriott Wardman Park (Evening reception)
May 8 Uniontown/Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus (Lunch)
Pittsburgh/Sheraton Station Square (Evening reception)
May 13 King of Prussia/Valley Forge Casino Resort (Evening reception)
May 14 Philadelphia-Center City/The Rittenhouse (Lunch)
Scranton/Fiorelli Catering; Peckville (Dinner)
May 15 Northern New Jersey (Whippany)/Hanover Marriott (Lunch)
New York City/Marriott New York Downtown (Evening reception)
May 20 Williamsport/Pennsylvania College of Technology College (Lunch)
Wilkes-Barre/Genetti Hotel & Conference Center (Evening reception)
May 21 East Stroudsburg/East Stroudsburg University (Lunch)
Lehigh Valley/Sands Bethlehem Event Center (Evening reception)
May 22 Erie/Penn State Erie, The Behrend College (Evening reception)
For the third consecutive year, Fullington Tours will provide a customized coach to transport all the Coaches Caravan participants throughout the 17-stop tour.
Fans can follow the Penn State Alumni Association (@PennStateAlums or @PSUFBLetter), Penn State Athletics (@GoPSUsports) and the Nittany Lion Club (@NittanyLionClub) on Twitter.