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 beginning April 30 and during the first two full weeks of May.
"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."
Penn State men’s hockey coach Guy Gadowsky is joining the bus tour for all six events during the third week of the Coaches Caravan, with stops in Altoona and Pittsburgh (May 14), Youngstown and Cleveland (May 15) and Erie and Buffalo (May 16).
"I’m excited to join the Coaches Caravan and having the opportunity to meet all the alumni and fans that help make Penn State so special," Gadowsky stated. "It will be a great chance for me to share my passion for the University and Penn State community as we get ready to begin NCAA competition next fall."
Penn State Lady Lion basketball coach Coquese Washington also will join the Coaches Caravan 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.
"The Caravan sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun!" Washington said. "The Penn State fans and alums in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Ohio are unbelievable supporters of our sports programs and I am excited to give them some special insight on the Lady Lion Basketball program."
In addition to Gadowsky and Washington, O’Brien will be joined by numerous 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.
"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 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
- Coquese Washington, Lady Lion basketball
- Char Morett, field hockey
- Russ Rose, women’s volleyball
- Beth Alford-Sullivan, men’s and women’s track and field/cross country
- Denise St. Pierre, women’s golf
- Bob Warming, men’s soccer
- Greg Nye, men’s golf
- 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)Complete details and registration information for every stop on the Penn State Coaches Caravan tour are available at www.GoPSUsports.com/caravan and www.alumni.psu.edu/coachescaravan. Advance registration is required for all Coaches Caravan events.
The complete Penn State Coaches Caravan schedule, including coaches scheduled to participate:
April 30 Philadelphia (lunch) Coaches: O’Brien (football), Chambers (men’s basketball), Morett (field hockey) 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)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) 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), Nye (men’s golf) Lehigh Valley (evening) Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball), Warming (men’s soccer), Nye (men’s golf May 9 Woodbridge, N.J. (lunch) Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball), Warming (men’s soccer), Nye (men’s golf) New York City (evening) Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball),
Rose (women’s volleyball), Warming (men’s soccer), Nye (men’s golf)May 10 Hartford, Conn. (lunch) Coaches: O’Brien (football), Warming (men’s soccer), Nye (men’s golf) Scranton, Pa. (evening) Coaches: O’Brien (football), Warming (men’s soccer), Nye (men’s golf) May 14 Penn State Altoona (breakfast) Coaches: O’Brien (football), Gadowsky (men’s hockey) Pittsburgh (evening) Coaches: O’Brien (football), Gadowsky (men’s hockey), Brandwene (women’s hockey) May 15 Youngstown, Ohio (lunch) Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball), Gadowsky (men’s hockey) Cleveland, Ohio (evening) Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball), Gadowsky (men’s hockey) May 16 Penn State Erie, The Behrend College (lunch) Coaches: O’Brien (football), Gadowsky (men’s hockey) Buffalo, N.Y. (evening) Coaches: O’Brien (football), Gadowsky (men’s hockey), Brandwene (women’s hockey) Click Here for the Penn State Coaches Caravan Schedule