UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., April 8, 2014 - Building on his mission to "Dominate The State," Penn State football coach James Franklin will be joined by nine head coaches during the Penn State Coaches Caravan tour in May, with stops in 17 locales. Thirteen of the 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.
In his first year as the Nittany Lions' 16th head football coach, Franklin is scheduled to participate in all 17 Coaches Caravan stops at Nittany Nation strongholds across Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region.
The second set of head coaches scheduled to join Franklin on the Penn State Coaches Caravan includes: Guy Gadowsky (men's hockey), Amanda Lehotak (softball), Mark Pavlik (men's volleyball) and Coquese Washington (Lady Lion basketball).
The first set of head coaches previously announced as participating in the Penn State Coaches Caravan was: Char Morett (field hockey), Russ Rose (women's volleyball), Cael Sanderson (wrestling), Erica Walsh (women's soccer) and Bob Warming (men's soccer). Some football assistant coaches also are scheduled to attend Coaches Caravan events, with some previously announced and others to be confirmed after Saturday's Blue-White Game. (See below for list of dates/sites and coaches scheduled to attend).
Penn State Coaches Caravan registration is underway for the general public at www.alumni.psu.edu/coachescaravan and www.GoPSUsports.com. As a benefit of membership, Penn State Alumni Association and Nittany Lion Club members began signing up for Coaches Caravan events on March 24, with more than 4,200 overall registrations during the first two weeks. 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.
The May 6 lunch at Penn State York (215 guests) and evening reception in Hershey (725) and the May 20 lunch at Williamsport's Pennsylvania College of Technology (250) are sold out. There are less than 50 seats remaining for the evening reception in Erie (May 22) and the May 7 lunch in Baltimore.
Five of the Coaches Caravan events will be held on Penn State campuses, starting Thursday, May 1 with an evening reception at the new Pegula Ice Arena on the University Park campus. The Coaches Caravan also will stop at Penn State York (sold out); Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus (Uniontown); the Pennsylvania College of Technology (sold out) and Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, for the final event on May 22.
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 also will attend selected events.
Rose and Warming are scheduled to join Franklin at the May 1 event in Pegula Ice Arena, which opened to rave reviews last October and is the home of the Penn State men's and women's hockey teams. Football assistant coaches Josh Gattis, Charles Huff, Brent Pry and Bob Shoop also are scheduled to attend the State College event.
During the first full week (May 6-8) of the Coaches Caravan, Franklin, Walsh and Warming are scheduled to attend all six events, with Washington also attending the York and Hershey stops on May 6. On May 8, the Coaches Caravan will make its first-ever stop at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus in Uniontown.
During the second week (May 13-15), Franklin, Sanderson and Walsh are scheduled to attend all five Coaches Caravan events. Morett will join them at the King of Prussia (13th) and Philadelphia Center City (14th) stops. The Caravan will again stop at the Penn State Alumni Association's Greater Scranton Chapter annual scholarship dinner on 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 the Coaches Caravan's final week (May 20-22), Franklin, Gadowsky, Pavlik are scheduled to attend the initial four events, including the May 21 luncheon at East Stroudsburg University, Franklin's alma mater. At the Caravan's final event, the May 22 evening reception in Erie, Franklin and Pavlik will be joined by Lehotak, who is in her first season as the Nittany Lions' softball coach.
At 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 a conference-best 15 Big Ten crowns the past two years, while earning an NCAA Graduation Rate of 88 percent.
Franklin's 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. There is no admission or parking fee for the game.
The 2014 Coaches Caravan schedule of events, locations and coaches scheduled to participate:
May 1 State College/University Park-Pegula Ice Arena (Evening reception)
Coaches: James Franklin, Russ Rose, Bob Warming, Josh Gattis, Charles Huff, Brent Pry, Bob Shoop
May 1 State College/University Park-Pegula Ice Arena (Evening reception)
Coaches: James Franklin, Russ Rose, Bob Warming, Josh Gattis, Charles Huff, Brent Pry, Bob Shoop
May 6 York/Penn State York (Lunch) - SOLD OUT
Coaches: James Franklin, Coquese Washington, Erica Walsh, Bob Warming
Hershey/Hershey Lodge (Evening reception) - SOLD OUT
Coaches: James Franklin, Coquese Washington, Erica Walsh, Bob Warming
May 7 Baltimore/Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards (Lunch)
Coaches: James Franklin, Erica Walsh, Bob Warming
Washington, D.C./Washington Marriott Wardman Park (Evening reception)
Coaches: James Franklin, Erica Walsh, Bob Warming
May 8 Uniontown/Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus (Lunch)
Coaches: James Franklin, Erica Walsh, Bob Warming
Pittsburgh/Sheraton Station Square (Evening reception)
Coaches: James Franklin, Erica Walsh, Bob Warming
May 13 King of Prussia/Valley Forge Casino Resort (Evening reception)
Coaches: James Franklin, Char Morett, Cael Sanderson, Erica Walsh
May 14 Philadelphia-Center City/The Rittenhouse (Lunch)
Coaches: James Franklin, Char Morett, Cael Sanderson, Erica Walsh
Scranton/Fiorelli Catering; Peckville (Dinner)
Coaches: James Franklin, Cael Sanderson, Erica Walsh
May 15 Northern New Jersey (Whippany)/Hanover Marriott (Lunch)
Coaches: James Franklin, Cael Sanderson, Erica Walsh
New York City/Marriott New York Downtown (Evening reception)
Coaches: James Franklin, Cael Sanderson, Erica Walsh, Herb Hand, Ricky Rahne
May 20 Williamsport/Pennsylvania College of Technology College (Lunch) - SOLD OUT
Coaches: James Franklin, Guy Gadowsky, Mark Pavlik
Wilkes-Barre/Genetti Hotel & Conference Center (Evening reception)
Coaches: James Franklin, Guy Gadowsky, Mark Pavlik
May 21 East Stroudsburg/East Stroudsburg University (Lunch)
Coaches: James Franklin, Guy Gadowsky, Mark Pavlik
Lehigh Valley/Sands Bethlehem Event Center (Evening reception)
Coaches: James Franklin, Guy Gadowsky, Mark Pavlik
May 22 Erie/Penn State Erie, The Behrend College (Evening reception)
Coaches: James Franklin, Amanda Lehotak, Mark Pavlik, Herb Hand
For the third consecutive year, Fullington Tours will provide a customized coach to transport all the Coaches Caravan participants throughout the 17-stop tour.
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