University Park, Pa. — The Penn State Football staff will again welcome a large contingent of high school players from across the nation to its 37th annual summer football camps, which get under way Friday, June 3.
Penn State Football’s Associate Athletic Director, Fran Ganter, serves as the Administrative Director for all five of Penn State’s football camp opportunities offered this month. Close to 3,000 players attend annually making this one of the most successful high school football camp operations in the country.
Penn State offers two dates for the offense / defense skills and fundamentals camp for athletes entering 8th-12th grade in the fall. This four-day camp is offered June 19-22 and June 26-29.
A two-day placekicking camp, coordinated by Penn State placekicking coach Mike McQueary, is set for June 3-4. This camp also is for athletes entering 8th-12th grade this coming fall.
The "Seniors Only" camp, for upcoming seniors only, will be held June 24-25. This camp is designed to give players the opportunity to focus on their primary offensive or defensive position. In addition to the Penn State staff, the seniors’ only camp features many visiting college coaches who serve as assistants to the Penn state coaches.
Penn State’s increasingly popular 7-on-7 team passing camp will be held June 17-18. Many top high school teams attend this camp and use it as a competitive off-season teaching opportunity for their skill players. This camp is designed for varsity programs only.
The instructional sessions are held at Penn State’s expansive grass and artificial turf fields, or in case of inclement weather, in the Nittany Lions’ indoor facilities, including Holuba Hall.
Additional camp information, including on line registration forms, can be found by visiting: www.pennstatefootballcamps.com or by contacting the Penn State sports camps office at 814-865-0561, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno and his staff have guided Penn State to 60 wins in the last 79 games, including victories in the 2010 Capital One Bowl, 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl, 2007 Outback Bowl and 2007 Valero Alamo Bowl, and a berth in the 2009 Rose Bowl. The Nittany Lions are among the top 10 percent nationally in victories over the past six seasons.
The Nittany Lions return 41 letterwinners and 15 starters for the 2011 season, (7 offense, 8 defense, 1 specialist), as well as 17 players that have starting experience. Penn State opens its 125th season Sept. 3 vs. Indiana State in Beaver Stadium and Alabama visits Happy Valley on Sept. 10 for the first time since 1989.