Penn State football coach James Franklin heads the Penn State Coaches Caravan tour that makes a stop in Pittsburgh at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 7, at the Doubletree by Hilton Cranberry.
Building on his mission to “Dominate The State,” the Nittany Lions’ 16th head coach will be joined by assistant coaches Bob Shoop and Terry Smith as well as ice hockey head coach Guy Gadowsky and women’s golf head coach Denise St. Pierre.
Registration is underway for alumni and the general public at www.alumni.psu.edu/coachescaravan. Advance registration is required for the caravan, which is sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association and the Nittany Lion Club.
The Pittsburgh event will feature an opportunity to meet Franklin and the other Nittany Lion head coaches during the evening receptions prior to the program. The second-year coach will meet with alumni and fans, and talk about his first season as coach, preparations for the 2015 campaign and his vision for Penn State football as well as how all Penn State alumni and fans can help build on Penn State football’s tradition of excellence.
Franklin will share the dais with head coaches who have helped champion Penn State’s “One Team” philosophy with 31 varsity teams and 24 campuses, communities and constituencies all playing a role in the Nittany Lions’ academic and athletic success. Penn State has captured 18 Big Ten Championships and five NCAA titles since 2012, while earning an NCAA student-athlete graduation rate of 89 percent. During the 2014 fall semester, a school record 500 Penn State student-athletes earned at least a 3.0 grade-point average, with a record 241 garnering dean's list honors by posting a GPA of 3.50 or better.