Last week, we saw Sports Illustrated's Campus Union roll out their list of "100 things we’re most excited for in the 2014 college football season."
From that, we found a new definition of Pitt football at #82.
This week, they have finished off their list, and Penn State makes an appearance at lucky #13:
13. James Franklin’s impact at Penn State. Franklin redefined expectations during his three-year stay at Vanderbilt. Now, the Nittany Lions new coach has a chance to revitalize Happy Valley. The Langhorne, Pa., native has wasted no time making an impact: His 2015 recruiting class ranks second in the nation, according to Rivals.com. Better yet? Franklin inherits an ultra-talented quarterback in Christian Hackenberg and a trio of pass-catching tight ends in Jesse James, Kyle Carter and Adam Breneman.
I don't know about you, but the anticipation of this 2014 season is killing me!
From Sports Illustrated's Campus Union . . . 100 Things We're most Excited for in the 2014 Season . . .
82. Pittsburgh’s attempt to enter ACC contention There are certain college football teams that exude confidence, precision and ferocity. Oregon is a screaming attack fighter. Alabama is a fearsome, unyielding tank. Pitt, on the other hand? Pitt is an overweight mail clerk rolling backwards down a hill in an office chair. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd is pretty good, though.
Lost amid the excitement of Penn State recruiting, the Board of Trustee elections and renaming the Food Sciences building after E-Rod, is this gem from Youngstown State University.
I'm gonna be President!
I'm gonna be a President!
According to the Plain Dealer, James "Tattoo" Tressel has been named President of the University. Tressel was apparently also in the running for the University of Akron job. I do not know if he had applied for Penn State before Barron took over.
Tressel signed a three-year contract that includes a salary of $300,000 a year for the first two years and the third year to be determined based on a performance evaluation, the university said. He will also receive an American-made car and housing.Tressel’s coaching career at Ohio State University ended when he was banned by the NCAA for rules violations three years ago. He began working at UA two years ago.About 10 percent to 15 percent of college presidents nationwide do not come through the traditional academic pipeline, instead coming in with a corporate or political background, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Another article reported that Tressel "spent 38 years as a coach and does not have a doctorate degree."
Soooooo, what the hell is YSU thinking??????
[Football Championships]
Seriously, is the pool of university presidential candidates that shallow that Tressel makes a good choice?
What message is the University sending?
We don't care if someone violates NCAA rules?
We believe in second chances?
We don't want to be on probation, and if there's one man that knows all about probation, it's Jim Tressel?
“The trustees chose Mr. Tressel based on his fund raising ability to a large degree. All due respect to Mr. Tressel, but his strength isn’t in academics so we need to have a provost very strong in academics.”
Oh, so it's about the money!
And there you have it. Fundraising is more important than integrity.
Incumbent trustee Joel "We have to move on" Myers has moved on, as the Alumni of Penn State have voted his pathetic butt off the board for the first time in 33 years. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:
Alice Pope, a psychology professor at St. John’s University, had 10,025 votes; Al Lord, the former CEO of Sallie Mae, 9,516; and Bob Jubelirer, a former Pennsylvania state senator, 8,101. All three candidates ran on platforms that included the need for the university to reassess past decisions made regarding the firing of Joe Paterno, the Freeh Report and the NCAA sanctions.
“With nine new alumni members I would hope that there is a recognition by the existing board that is there that it’s important we work together,” Mr. Jubelirer said. “And there’s only one way that’s going to be effective: We have to get to the truth. Due process does matter. I heard that man in Hershey, (trustee) Ken Frazier, a year ago in March say it didn’t matter. Like hell it doesn’t matter.”
Notable candidates who lost to Mr. Lord, Mr. Jubelirer and Ms. Pope include Joel Myers, who had been an alumni trustee for the past 33 years, and Upward State candidates Dan Cocco, Julie McHugh and Matt Schuyler. None of those candidates garnered more than 4,000 votes.
I was afraid Mr. Myers would benefit from voters splitting their votes with Upward State candidates and free-lancers like Ryan Bagwell, whom I personally supported with my vote. But the Alumni would not be denied. They crushed Mr. Myers and his platform of "moving on." I'm not holding my breath that the remaining Board members from 2011 have learned anything from this crushing defeat of Myers, but they will have to deal with an increasing number of representatives that do not want to simply move on at the expense of truth and justice.
Also coming out of today's BOT meeting is this gem: the Food Sciences building which houses the famous Penn State Creamery will henceforth be known as the Rodney A. Erickson Food Sciences Building.
The 2014 Coaches Caravan kicked off at Pegula Ice Arena on May 1st.
Yours truly was there.
I should have brought a stool or something to stand on!
I also ran into Carolyn Todd, another blogger. She's a Penn State professor who has recently lost her husband to cancer. And here I am taking a piece of coconut chicken. My bowling buddies are at the table with me.
So what do I think?
I am really excited to get this season going. The recruiting has been fun--still is--but it won't be anything compared to watching Coach Franklin lead his team onto the field September 6th in Beaver Stadium.
The main ceremony took place on a carpeted area on the ice rink.
Franklin was joined by Russ Rose and Bob Warming. Assistant coaches Brent Pry, Bob Shoop, Josh Gattis, and Charles Huff also mingled with the crowd of around 450 guests before hand. Bob Shoop offered another buddy of mine and his son a chance to come to a practice sometime. Coach Chambers was also there but did not speak in the main program.
Once again, Franklin got choked up talking about being the head coach of the Nittany Lions. He has gotten choked up before. Genuine emotion, or hamming it up for the crowd? You decide. I think it's for real, but I have been known to be wrong before. It certainly sounds like this is his dream job.
"For a lot of people, this is a job," Franklin said. "This is personal for me. This means the world to me. For a guy growing up in the state of Pennsylvania to come back and be the head football coach at Penn State is unbelievably special."
"I love that the expectation here is for the head coach to be here for 80 years," Franklin joked.
And it was with a heavy heart, that I suddenly realized that I am probably older (and shorter) than all of the football coaches at Penn State now. I've always been shorter. I might have Spider Caldwell beat!
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