UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., March 28, 2014 - One of the highlights of the Penn State sports calendar, the Blue-White Game presented by AAA, is set for Saturday, April 12 at 1:30 p.m. as the centerpiece for activities throughout the weekend on the University Park campus.
The popular autograph session with the Nittany Lions returns for the Blue-White Game and will be held from 10:45-11:30 a.m. in Beaver Stadium. The players will be permitted to sign one item per person to give as many fans as possible an opportunity to meet the squad.
The team will arrive at the stadium at approximately 10:15 a.m. on April 12 and stadium gates A and B will open at 10:30 a.m. Gates C, D and F will open at 12:00 p.m. for the game.
The Penn State football gameday Fan Festival, with numerous displays, vendors and interactive events for kids, will begin at 9 a.m. and be located on Curtin Road near Beaver Stadium, as it is during the season.
Coach James Franklin'sNittany Lions are in the midst of spring practice, with the 15 spring sessions culminating in the Blue-White Game presented by AAA. The contest will air on the Penn State Sports Network and air on BTN at 6:00 p.m. As in previous years, there will be no admission or parking fee for the Blue-White Game. Stadium parking lots will open at 8:00 a.m.
Fans will have an opportunity to purchase season tickets at the Blue-White Game and select their seats on April 12. Members of the Athletic Ticket office will be stationed at various locations in Beaver Stadium before and during the Blue-White Game to answer questions and show fans specific seat locations that are available for the upcoming season.
Approximately 1,700 new season tickets have been sold thus far for the 2014 campaign, including nearly 500 Recent Graduate (2010-14 graduates) season tickets, since the Recent Graduate program was announced in late January.
The Penn State women's tennis team will be home during Blue-White Weekend presented by AAA, hosting Purdue (April 11, 3:30 p.m.) and Indiana (April 13, 11 a.m.). All the other Nittany Lion spring teams are on the road April 11-13.
The 5th Annual Paterno Family Beaver Stadium Run/Family Fun Walk to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania is set for Sunday, April 13. Participants will finish at the 50-yard line in Beaver Stadium for the three mile run or one mile walk. For more information, go to: specialolympicspa.org/beaver-stadium-run
With the Penn State Coaches Caravan slated to kick off at the new Pegula Ice Arena on May 1, the Nittany Lion Club will not have a Blue-White Event this year the morning of the spring game. Coaches Caravan registration is underway for Nittany Lion Club and Penn State Alumni Association members. General public registration for the 17-event Penn State Coaches' Caravan will begin Monday, March 31 at 10 a.m. and the registration link will be posted on www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Blue-White Game presented by AAA is the university's unofficial annual spring reunion. The 2012 scrimmage drew an estimated 60,000 fans, the nation's third-highest spring football game attendance. The Blue-White Game attracted record-breaking crowds in excess of 70,000 from 2007-09, topped by 76,500 at the 2009 contest.
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 University.
Season ticket renewals are underway online at www.GoPSUsports.com/accountmanager. The initial deadline for Nittany Lion Club donations was February 1. There again was no increase in season tickets prices for Penn State football for the 2014 season. New season tickets are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Penn State announced two new football ticket initiatives in January.
- The Recent Graduate program gives Penn State graduates who earned an undergraduate degree from 2010-14 at any campus the opportunity to purchase up to two season tickets for $300 per ticket for the seven-game home schedule this fall. The cost includes a $50 donation to the Nittany Lion Club and is a savings of 35 percent from the regular $460 season ticket price ($360 + $100 NLC donation).
Approximately 2,000 seats remain available for the Recent Graduate program on a first-come, first-served basis. The seats will be located in the North Upper Deck, in Sections NAU-NLU. Interested recent graduates can call 1-800-NITTANY, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Penn State will be implementing a variable pricing structure for its single game public football tickets during the 2014 season. Single game tickets will go on sale to the general public in July, with tickets being available for as low as $40 for some games. For a full list of prices by section for the 2014 football season, fans can log onto: http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011414aab.html.
The Nittany Lions open the season on Aug. 30 vs. UCF in Dublin, Ireland at the Croke Park Classic. Penn State returns 41 letterwinners and 15 starters (7 offense, 7 defense, 1 specialist) and will host Rose Bowl Champion Michigan State (Nov. 29), Ohio State (Oct. 25), Northwestern (Sept. 27-Homecoming) and Maryland (Nov. 1) during its 2014 Big Ten home schedule. The Nittany Lions will play a trio of 2013 Top 10 teams this fall.
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