UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., May 12, 2014 - Following six enthusiastic stops last week, the Penn State Coaches Caravan will embark on Week 2 with five more stops starting Tuesday, May 13. The Caravan will make a total of 17 stops through May 22.
Football coach James Franklin is headlining the bus tour of many Penn State alumni strongholds across Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic. Franklin is participating in all 17 Coaches Caravan stops and being joined by nine more dynamic Penn State head coaches and all nine assistant football coaches during the tour. (Please see below for complete list of coaches scheduled to attend Coaches Caravan events).
The second week of the Coaches Caravan begins Tuesday with an evening event in King of Prussia, where a crowd of more than 700 is expected. On Wednesday, May 14, the Caravan will stop in center city Philadelphia and Scranton and on Thursday there are events in Northern New Jersey and New York City.
Cael Sanderson (wrestling) and Erica Walsh (women's soccer) will join Franklin at all five Coaches Caravan events this week and field hockey coach Char Morett will attend the King of Prussia and Philadelphia stops. Assistant football coaches Josh Gattis (King of Prussia), Ricky Rahne (Scranton) and Herb Hand (New York City) also are scheduled to participate in Coaches Caravan events this week.
| Cael Sanderson will attend all five events this week |
The final week of the Coaches Caravan will begin on May 20. On Wednesday, May 21, Nittany Lion Basketball coach Patrick Chambers will attend the evening reception at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center in the Lehigh Valley. Chambers also attended the Caravan kickoff event in State College on May 1. Franklin, Guy Gadowsky (men's hockey) and Mark Pavlik (men's volleyball) also will attend the Lehigh Valley event.
Nearly 6,500 Penn State alumni and fans signed up for Caravan events, with crowds of 200-plus registered at 15 of the 17 events. Eight events have surpassed 350 registered guests thus far and six have sold out.
More than 2,600 energetic and engaged Penn State alumni and fans attended Coaches Caravan Week 1 events in York, Hershey, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Uniontown and Pittsburgh last week, including a crowd of more than 725 at the Hershey event.
Penn State Coaches Caravan registration remains open at alumni.psu.edu/coachescaravan. 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.
At each event, Penn Staters will be treated to a message from the Nittany Lions' head football coach and at least two other Penn State head coaches 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.
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. The Nittany Lions were No. 2 nationally in the most recent Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings.
The 2014 Penn State Coaches Caravan Week 2-3 events and coaches scheduled to participate (subject to change):
May 13 King of Prussia/Valley Forge Casino Resort (Evening reception)
Coaches: James Franklin, Char Morett, Cael Sanderson, Erica Walsh, Josh Gattis
May 14 Philadelphia-Center City/The Rittenhouse (Lunch)
Coaches: James Franklin, Char Morett, Cael Sanderson, Erica Walsh,
Scranton/Fiorelli Catering; Peckville (Dinner) - SOLD OUT
Coaches: James Franklin, Cael Sanderson, Erica Walsh, Ricky Rahne
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
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, John Donovan,
Ricky Rahne
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, Patrick Chambers, Guy Gadowsky, Mark Pavlik, Sean Spencer
May 22 Erie/Penn State Erie, The Behrend College (Evening reception) - SOLD OUT
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.
Fans can follow the Penn State Alumni Association (@PennStateAlums or @PSUFBLetter), Penn State Athletics (@GoPSUsports) and the Nittany Lion Club (@NittanyLionClub) on Twitter.