Posts filed under ‘Penn State football’
Rosey Grier Remembers Deacon Jones
USA Today has a sweet story online about the death on Monday of Deacon Jones, one of the L.A. Rams’ “Fearsome Foursome” of the 1960s. The story extensively quotes Rosey Grier ’56, who is now the sole living member of that foursome.
“It was a heavy blow for me, like losing a family member,” Grier says of Jones’ death. “We four were family.” Which may seem obvious—but, as the article points out, it was an unusual family for its time: three blacks and a white Mormon. Says Grier: “The four of us set out to prove that it wasn’t about the color of the man, it was about the desire of each individual to work together as a team.”
Something interesting I learned from the story: Despite his nickname, Deacon Jones was not a particularly religious man. It was Grier who encouraged him—even as recently as three weeks ago—to get in touch with his spiritual side.
(We did a cover story on Rosey Grier two years ago; you can read it here.)
Tina Hay, editor
A Stop at MetLife Stadium Reminds Us That Football Season is Only 115 Days Away
The Penn State Coaches Caravan wraps up Thursday with stops in DuBois and Pittsburgh, but I’m back in State College today—both to get caught up on my magazine duties, and because my daughter’s fifth birthday is something I’m not about to miss. So Wednesday was my last day, and a great one, starting out in New York City and wrapping up in Scranton. In between, we made time for a brief stop in East Rutherford, N.J.
East Rutherford, of course, is home to MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL’s Giants and Jets since 2010. On Aug. 31, MetLife will host Penn State’s season opener against Syracuse, and on Wednesday, those of us on the bus got a quick tour. It’s an impressive place, and it looked especially cool with those Nittany Lion logos on the massive HD screens in each corner of the field (click the photo to enlarge and get a sense of the scale). It’s gonna look even better filled with blue and white in a few months—and yes, game tickets are on sale now.
Penn State fans with relatively long memories should be especially excited about the game, which harkens back to some successful season openers in the old Kickoff Classic games held at Giants Stadium, which stood right next to where MetLife stands now. I have great memories of tailgating in the parking lot before the ’96 win over Southern Cal, and of course, there was that famous demolition of defending national champion Georgia Tech back in 1991.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Anthony Adams Gets Down For a Cause
Our March/April issue features an update on Anthony Adams ’04, a former Nittany Lion football standout whose nine-year NFL career appears to be over. Released by the Chicago Bears after the 2011 season, Adams held out of hope of signing elsewhere as a free agent; to pass the time, he started dabbling in a new career as an internet celebrity. No further NFL offers were forthcoming, but his post-playing career is already taking off.
Adams made news over the weekend when he won the “Dancing with Chicago Celebrities” contest, raising $8,000 for breast cancer research. That’s Anthony on the left, complete with MJ-inspired sequins glove.
Adams is great at using his self-deprecating sense of humor to play off his girth (his last listed playing weight was 6-foot, 310 pounds), an approach that helped him win that dance contest, and also a growing army of online fans. He boasts more than 18,000 Twitter followers (you can find him at @spiceadams), and his YouTube videos, most of them riffing on the delusional plight of NFL free agents, have been a viral hit. As for the dancing? As you’ll see in our new issue, Adams told us he was hoping to one day land on Dancing with the Stars. Here’s hoping his weekend victory brings him one step closer to living the dream.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
A “Unique” Signing Day for Penn State
Wednesday is national signing day, arguably the most anticipated date on college football’s offseason calendar. It’s the first day that high school seniors can make their college decisions official by signing NCAA letters of intent. If you already pay attention to this stuff, you know that some fans follow recruiting as closely as they follow the games—and that “beating” a rival by corralling a higher-ranked class is treasured almost as highly as beating them on the field.
We know how thoroughly the 2012 team defied expectations; so far, it looks as if Penn State is doing the same in recruiting. The Lions won’t be able to compete with the likes of Alabama or Ohio State in this year’s national recruiting rankings, but by many other measures, the first class of the post-sanction era might already be considered a success. National recruiting analyst Mike Farrell of Rivals.com calls Penn State’s recruit efforts “amazing.” A few thoughts on the who, how, and why:
* It includes some gems. Highly touted recruits likes tight end Adam Breneman and QB Christian Hackenberg had offers from nearly every top program in the nation, but they stuck with decisions they made before the sanctions came down. Most of their future classmates did the same. This York Daily Record story breaks down how Penn State’s “unique” class came—and stayed—together. The YDR also has this sidebar with pertinent information on each committed player in the incoming class.
* Bill O’Brien and his staff are working their tails off. I’ve seen a bit of this first hand, and I’m not quite sure how he does it. Well, I have an idea—as I’ve written before, O’Brien is relentlessly organized, and does nothing without a detailed plan—but it’s still impressive to see the pace at which this guy works. Mike Poorman ’82 of StateCollege.com thoroughly breaks down O’Brien’s upcoming schedule in this piece, and to be honest, I bet even Mike missed a few things.
* A fresh approach. ESPN.com last week ran a really interesting piece on DJ Crook, one of the invited walk-ons—or “run-ons,” as O’Brien calls them—who in many cases are turning down scholarship offers from smaller programs to pay their own way and play at Penn State. It’s not hard to imagine some of these kids emerging as contributors, and crowd favorites, over the next few years. There’s also this, from PennLive.com, on how the Penn State coaches are spending more time looking beyond the Lions’ usual geographic recruiting base.
The intrigue of recruiting lies in wondering how these kids will turn out. Given the timing and the circumstances, few classes figure to be as intriguing as this one.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Another Honor for Bill O’Brien
Bill O’Brien on Thursday was named Bear Bryant Coach of the Year, his third such national honor recognizing the success he, his staff, and the Nittany Lion players achieved last season. The video below, shot Thursday night at the awards ceremony in Houston, features O’Brien and fellow award finalists Bill Snyder of Kansas State and Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M talking about Penn State’s inspiring run through the 2012 season.
For more O’Brien perspective, the coach recorded an interview with his former college teammate and current Yahoo Sports Radio host John Harris. The coach offers some insights as to why he was able to have such success as a first-year coach under such difficult circumstances. It’s worth a listen.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
On Bill O’Brien, Loyalty, and Vision
So Bill O’Brien is staying put. For what seemed like an eternity to those following along on Twitter but was ultimately about half a day, O’Brien on Thursday went from rumored candidate for a handful of NFL jobs, to the guy who had interviewed for one or two of them and was all but gone, to the guy who reconfirmed his commitment to Penn State before any offers were forthcoming. It all happened so fast—and in fact nothing much really happened at all—but the speculation alone was enough to send many Nittany Lion fans into a panic.
Was O’Brien ever likely to leave? I don’t think so. I don’t pretend to know what’s in another man’s mind and heart, but I’ve spent a fair amount of time around him, both on and off the record. Judging by his words—and more important, his actions—over the past year, leaving now simply didn’t add up.
For starters, there’s the emphasis on loyalty—on sticking together and not running away from a challenge—that defined the Penn State football program over the past year. A lot of that originated with the players, but O’Brien embraced it as well. He had to, of course, if he (more…)
A Lion for the Future
Michael Mauti was the emotional heart of the 2012 Penn State football team, a great player whose leadership helped keep the Nittany Lions together through a tumultuous summer and challenging fall. It’s impossible to find a direct parallel with a kid who, officially at least, isn’t yet a member of the team. But Adam Breneman comes pretty close.
Breneman is just wrapping up his senior year at Cedar Cliff High School outside Harrisburg, and he’ll start classes at University Park in January. Arguably the top high school tight end in the nation as a junior, he committed to Penn State last spring, giving then-new coach Bill O’Brien a great prospect and a very public vote of confidence. That he seriously injured his knee last summer and missed his senior season did little to dampen the enthusiasm of Penn State fans who expect him to be a terrific college player and future pro.
But there are a couple of twists in Breneman’s story that make him far more compelling. The first is (more…)
The Season That Was
The college football season has entered its quiet phase, the nearly month-long stretch between the end of the regular season and the glut of holiday bowl games. What news there is centers mostly on bowl previews, coaches being fired and hired, and a slew of postseason awards. The Nittany Lions won’t be going bowling anytime soon, of course, but their coach (who’s staying put, if you hadn’t heard) and many of their players have been making news—pretty much all of it good.
Start with the awards, most notably Bill O’Brien’s selection as Big Ten Coach of the Year and his status as a favorite for a slew of national COY awards. Such trophies aren’t usually handed to men who coach 8–4 teams, but his fellow coaches and the media members who vote for these awards seem to agree that what O’Brien did at Penn State this season—given the extraordinary circumstances, and in his first year as a head coach at any level—was worthy of recognition. Rick Reilly of ESPN made the case as well as anyone.
(FWIW: Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror argues that the man who hired O’Brien deserves some credit, as well.)
Two other awards reflect the impression that not just O’Brien but the entire program did something unique this season. There was Matt McGloin, the senior quarterback in his first and only season as a full-time starter, setting nine Penn State passing records and earning the Burlsworth Trophy as the top former walk-on in the country. That relatively new award is essentially a way to honor the nation’s greatest overachiever, and really, what better metaphor for this Penn State team?
Then there’s the Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award, presented by the Maxwell Football Club in recognition of their “commitment, leadership and outstanding effort.” That one’s going to the Nittany Lions’ entire senior class, a group O’Brien has relentlessly praised for keeping the Penn State program together. It’s quite the stack of kudos for a team that didn’t even win its division, and a cynic might argue that, just as the media piling on that deemed Penn State football “crippled” in July was overwrought, this flood of postseason honors might overstate what the Lions accomplished this season.
In truth, the symbolic and unifying value of this Penn State team is probably impossible to overstate.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
One Last, Emotional Saturday
It’s gotten hard to keep track of all the emotionally loaded moments at Penn State football games over the past 12 months. Saturday’s season finale against Wisconsin will be another one.
This year, the annual Senior Day game carries more than the usual significance. This senior class has found itself playing out its final season under unimaginable circumstances. All could have left before the season began; nearly all stayed. Simply by not going anywhere, they achieved something like legend status among Penn State fans. The response when those guys come out of the tunnel Saturday afternoon for the final time will be memorable.
Michael Mauti most likely will make that journey on crutches. Injured in last week’s win over Indiana, Mauti may yet apply for a sixth year of eligibility and the chance to return next season. Regardless, his name is indelibly linked to this year’s senior class.
There’s concern among Penn State fans about Bill O’Brien’s future, as well, due to rumors of NFL interest and the coach’s refusal this week to speak about anything beyond the final game. The smart media take is that it’s too soon to assume anything about his intentions, but that O’Brien will have legitimate pros and cons to weigh if a chance to be an NFL head coach presents itself in the coming weeks. In the meantime, it’s something else for Penn State fans to get emotional about this week.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
A Winning Weekend
It was quite a weekend for Penn State sports, and not just for the guys who dominated out in West Lafayette. As with Bill O’Brien’s team, which improved to 4-1 in conference play, most of the Nittany Lions’ success this weekend came on the road.
The field hockey team headlined the weekend, claiming its second straight (and sixth overall) Big Ten tournament title with a 2-0 victory over Michigan. The Lions, who also won the regular-season league title, are ranked No. 4 in the nation and will be among the favorites in this year’s NCAA tournament.
The men’s soccer team didn’t have to play over the weekend to clinch a share of the Big Ten regular-season crown, which the Lions share with Northwestern. They’ll be the top seed when the conference tournament starts later this week. The No. 3-ranked women’s soccer team wasn’t so fortunate on Friday, when they fell to Illinois in the Big Ten tournament semifinals. It was a rare bad day: The women went unbeaten in conference play en route to the program’s 15th consecutive regular-season league title. (They also dominated the postseason awards list.) They’ll learn their NCAA seed on Monday night.
Closer to home, the No. 3 women’s volleyball team beat a pair of conference opponents—including second-place and 10th-ranked Minnesota—to extend its Big Ten lead. The Lions are 13-1 in league play, two games head of the Gophers with six matches to play. Added up, Penn State’s fall “team” sports own a combined record of 72-15-4.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Subscribe
