UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Nittany Lion Club and the Penn State Alumni Association will team up to provide fans the chance to meet and hear from some of the leaders of Penn State Athletics this spring when the Penn State Coaches Caravan hits the road for destinations across Nittany Nation, encompassing seven states and Washington, D.C.
Nittany Lion football coach Bill O’Brien will headline the bus tour of many Penn State alumni strongholds across Pennsylvania, Ohio and the East Coast. The first-year coach is scheduled to participate in all 18 Coaches Caravan stops across nine days in late April and early May.
Penn State Lady Lion basketball coach Coquese Washington will join the bus tour for six events, including stops in Hazleton and the Lehigh Valley on May 8; Woodbridge, N.J., and New York City on May 9; and Youngstown and Cleveland, Ohio, on May 15.
In addition to Washington, O’Brien will be joined by several other Penn State head coaches on varying Coaches Caravan stops, including Nittany Lion basketball coach Patrick Chambers during the first week, which begins with two events in Philadelphia on Monday, April 30. Russ Rose, who has led Penn State to five NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championships, is among the other head coaches participating in the Coaches Caravan.
"I felt it was important to get out and meet people around the state and the surrounding states,” O’Brien said. “Penn State is a special place with a huge alumni network."
The Penn State Coaches Caravan will feature two stops on each of nine days of the tour spread over three consecutive weeks this spring, starting April 30 in Philadelphia. O’Brien and selected coaches will speak and answer questions from Penn State fans at every Coaches Caravan stop. Three of the Coaches Caravan events will be held at Penn State campuses in Altoona, Erie and Hazleton.
Among the Penn State head coaches confirmed thus far to attend Coaches Caravan events (subject to change) are:
— Bill O’Brien, football
— Patrick Chambers, Nittany Lion basketball
— Char Morett, field hockey
— Beth Alford-Sullivan, men’s and women’s track and field/cross country
— Denise St. Pierre, women’s golf
— Coquese Washington, Lady Lion basketball
— Bob Warming, men’s soccer
— Russ Rose, women’s volleyball
— Guy Gadowsky, men’s hockey
— Josh Brandwene, women’s hockey
Penn State begins NCAA Division I men’s and women’s ice hockey in 2012-13.
"The Coaches Caravan is a tremendous opportunity for me to meet and spend some time with the great Penn State fans in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.," Chambers said. “I’m really looking forward to going out and feeling the passion and the energy of the Nittany Nation as well as spending some time with fellow Penn State coaches on an old-school bus tour. It’s going to be a lot of fun."
The complete schedule, including coaches scheduled to participate, is:
— April 30: Philadelphia (lunch). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Chambers (men’s basketball), Morett (field hockey).
— April 30: Drexel Hill, Pa. (evening). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Chambers (men’s basketball), Morett (field hockey).
— May 1: Baltimore (lunch). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Chambers (men’s basketball), Alford-Sullivan (track and field/cross country), St. Pierre (women’s golf).
— May 1: Washington, D.C. (evening). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Chambers (men’s basketball), Alford-Sullivan (track and field/cross country), St. Pierre (women’s golf).
— May 2: Richmond, Va. (breakfast). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Alford-Sullivan (track and field/cross country).
— May 2: Harrisburg, Pa. (evening). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Morett (field hockey), Alford-Sullivan (track and field/cross country).
— May 8: Penn State Hazleton (lunch). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball), Warming (men’s soccer).
— May 8: Lehigh Valley (evening). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball), Warming (men’s soccer).
— May 9: Woodbridge, N.J. (lunch). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball), Warming (men’s soccer).
— May 9: New York City (evening). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball), Rose (women’s volleyball), Warming (men’s soccer).
— May 10: Hartford, Conn. (lunch). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Warming (men’s soccer).
— May 10: Scranton, Pa. (evening). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Warming (men’s soccer).
— May 14: Penn State Altoona (breakfast). Coach: O’Brien (football)
— May 14: Pittsburgh (evening). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Brandwene (women’s hockey).
— May 15: Youngstown, Ohio (lunch). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball).
— May 15: Cleveland, Ohio (evening). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball).
— May 16: Penn State Erie (lunch). Coach: O’Brien (football).
— May 16: Buffalo, N.Y. (evening). Coaches: O’Brien (football), Gadowsky (men’s hockey), Brandwene (women’s hockey).
Complete details and registration information for every stop on the Penn State Coaches Caravan tour are available at http://www.GoPSUsports.com and http://www.alumni.psu.edu/coachescaravan online. Advance registration is required for all Coaches Caravan events.