UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., May 19, 2014 - Having visited with more than 5,000 alumni and fans during its initial two weeks, the Penn State Coaches Caravan will embark on its final week with five more stops starting Tuesday, May 20. The Caravan is making a total of 17 stops this month.
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 10 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 third week of the Coaches Caravan begins Tuesday with a sold out lunch at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport and an evening event in Wilkes-Barre. On Wednesday, May 21, the Caravan will have a luncheon at East Stroudsburg University, Franklin's alma mater, and an evening reception in the Lehigh Valley. The final event is Thursday, a sold out evening function at Penn State Erie - The Behrend College.
Guy Gadowsky (men's hockey) and Mark Pavlik (men's volleyball) will join Franklin at all five Coaches Caravan events this week, as will new baseball coach Rob Cooper. The Nittany Lion baseball team improved its overall and Big Ten win totals from 2013 during Cooper's recently completed first season.
Coach Gadowsky joins week |
Nittany Lion Basketball coach Patrick Chambers will attend Wednesday's Caravan stop at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center in the Lehigh Valley and new softball coach Amanda Lehotak will attend Thursday's event in Erie. Chambers also attended the Caravan kickoff event in State College on May 1.
Assistant football coaches John Donovan and Ricky Rahne (Wilkes-Barre), Sean Spencer (Lehigh Valley) and Herb Hand (Erie) also are scheduled to participate in Coaches Caravan events this week.
More than 6,500 Penn State alumni and fans signed up for Caravan events, with crowds of 300-plus registered at nine events. Fifteen of the 17 stops have surpassed 200 registered guests thus far and six have sold out.
More than 2,400 energetic and engaged Penn State alumni and fans attended Coaches Caravan Week 2 events in King of Prussia, Philadelphia, Scranton, Northern New Jersey and New York City last week, including a crowds of approximately 900 in Scranton and just over 725 at the King of Prussia 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.
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 eight Big Ten Championships and three NCAA titles thus far in 2013-14, with a conference-best 16 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 3 events and coaches scheduled to participate (subject to change):
May 20 Williamsport/Pennsylvania College of Technology College (Lunch) - SOLD OUT
Coaches: James Franklin, Rob Cooper, Guy Gadowsky, Mark Pavlik
Wilkes-Barre/Genetti Hotel & Conference Center (Evening reception)
Coaches: James Franklin, Rob Cooper, Guy Gadowsky, Mark Pavlik, John Donovan, Ricky Rahne
May 21 East Stroudsburg/East Stroudsburg University (Lunch)
Coaches: James Franklin, Rob Cooper, Guy Gadowsky, Mark Pavlik
Lehigh Valley/Sands Bethlehem Event Center (Evening reception)
Coaches: James Franklin, Patrick Chambers, Rob Cooper, Guy Gadowsky, Mark Pavlik, Sean Spencer
May 22 Erie/Penn State Erie, The Behrend College (Evening reception) - SOLD OUT
Coaches: James Franklin, Rob Cooper, Amanda Lehotak, Mark Pavlik, Herb Hand
For the third consecutive year, Fullington Tours is providing 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.