3/5- Two Local Stops Highlight Penn State Coaches Caravan
By: Phil Schoener
Updated: March 5, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., March 5, 2013 - Building on Penn State's "One Team" inaugural year momentum, highlighting the highly successful first season under football Coach Bill O'Brien and looking ahead to 2013, the Penn State Coaches Caravan tour begins another road trip April 30 with visits to 12 locations during two weeks this spring.
At each stop, Penn Staters will have the opportunity to hear from Coach O'Brien and at least one other head coach and ask questions about the Nittany Lions' nationally recognized 31-sport athletic program at a lunch or evening event. Coach O'Brien is scheduled to participate in all 12 Coaches Caravan stops and will be joined by other Penn State head coaches on the tour, who also will meet with fans during the lunch or evening receptions prior to the program.
"We had a great turnout of Penn State alumni and fans during the Coaches Caravan last year and I enjoyed meeting so many people who have great pride and passion for Penn State," O'Brien stated. "It's important for me to get around Pennsylvania and other areas where we have a lot of alumni and give them a chance to get to know me and to hear from them. They need to hear about my philosophy and vision for the future and how we are moving forward. I knew Penn State was a special place when I came here and my experiences over the past year have only made that more apparent."
O'Brien was selected the 2012 Bear Bryant, Maxwell Football Club and ESPN National Coach of the Year and the Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading the Nittany Lions to wins in eight of their final 10 games. During each of the Coaches Caravan events, Coach O'Brien will talk about his core principles for the program, vision for moving Penn State Football to The Next Level and preparations for the 2013 season, as well as how all Penn State alumni and fans can make a difference for the program.
O'Brien and his fellow head coaches have championed Penn State's "One Team" philosophy this year, with the 31 varsity teams, athletics, campuses, communities and constituencies all playing a role in the Nittany Lions' academic and athletic success. Penn State has captured six Big Ten Championships thus far in 2012-13, while earning an NCAA Graduation Rate of 88 percent and a school record 100 Academic All-Big Ten honorees among the fall sport student-athletes.
The Penn State Coaches Caravan, jointly sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association and the Nittany Lion Club, kicks off April 30 with events in Reading and Philadelphia and will visit Nittany Nation strongholds throughout Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic through May 9.
The 2013 Coaches Caravan stops are:
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April 30 |
Reading, Pa. (lunch) |
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Philadelphia (evening reception) |
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May 1 |
Baltimore (lunch) |
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Washington, D.C. (evening reception) |
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May 2 |
Lancaster, Pa. (lunch) |
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Harrisburg, Pa. (evening reception) |
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May 7 |
Williamsport, Pa. (lunch) |
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Allentown, Pa. (evening reception) |
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May 8 |
New York City (lunch) |
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Scranton, Pa. (evening event) |
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May 9 |
DuBois, Pa. (lunch) |
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Pittsburgh (evening reception) |
Complete details on the other coaches participating, locations and registration information for each stop on the tour will be available soon. Registration for Penn State Alumni Association and Nittany Lion Club members opens March 12 and registration for the general public begins March 15.
For the second consecutive year, Fullington Tours will provide a customized coach to transport all the Coaches Caravan participants throughout the 12-stop tour.
Penn State Athletics is on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pennstatenittanylions) and Twitter (http://www.gopsusports.com/ot/twitter.html).
