When Brad “Spider” Caldwell retired in July, it marked the formal end of his more than four decades as part of the Penn State football program. That run started when Caldwell ’86 H&HD joined the team as a student manager for the 1983 season, and it continued through a 31-year career, most of it spent as head equipment manager. Beginning in 2015, he worked as the events and facilities coordinator at Beaver Stadium, where his office served as an unofficial shrine to his favorite teams, moments, and people. Before he stepped away, he invited us in to share some of those memories.
Led by gold medalist David Taylor, more than two dozen Penn State alumni, students, and coaches combined for a historic showing at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
He once envisioned winning Olympic gold and “moving on” from the sport. Now, after realizing his lifelong dream in Tokyo, the Penn State wrestling legend says he’s just getting started.
