UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Coaches Caravan kicks off April 30 with a lunch event in downtown Philadelphia and an evening reception and program in Delaware County. The Nittany Lion Club and Penn State Alumni Association are teaming up to give fans a chance to meet and hear from football coach Bill O’Brien and other leaders of Penn State Athletics with a bus tour encompassing 18 stops in seven states and Washington, D.C. during the course of three weeks.
The first week also includes programs in Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; Richmond, Va.; and the Harrisburg, Pa. area.
O’Brien, who will be at each stop on the tour, men’s basketball coach Patrick Chambers and field hockey coach Char Morett will appear at the April 30 events. A lunch program is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel, 237 S. Broad St., Philadelphia. Register for the downtown Philadelphia stop here.
Later that evening, the trio head to Drexelbrook in Drexel Hill, Pa. for a 7 p.m. evening reception and program. Register for the Delaware County stop here.
"I felt like it was very important for me in this first year to get out as much as I could and meet as many people as I could, especially Penn Staters," O’Brien recently told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
He added that his last visit to Philadelphia was as offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots in 2011.
"Philadelphia is a great sports town," he said. "There’s a definite rivalry between Philly and Boston but I’m a Penn Stater now. So I’ll be looking forward to a nice home crowd in Philadelphia."
Chambers said he is excited to kick off the Caravan in his hometown. For video of his comments, click here.
From there O’Brien, Chambers, track and field/cross country coach Beth Alford-Sullivan and women’s golf coach Denise St. Pierre head south. The four coaches will be at the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards for an 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. lunch event on Tuesday, May 1. Register for the Baltimore stop here.
At 7 p.m. on May 1, the quartet goes to the nation’s capital for an evening reception and program at the Washington Hilton. Register for the Washington, D.C. event here.
Week one of the Coaches Caravan wraps up with morning and evening stops on Wednesday, May 2. O’Brien and Alford-Sullivan will attend a 7:30-9:30 a.m. breakfast program at the Richmond (Va.) Marriott West. Register for the Richmond stop here.
At 7 p.m., O’Brien, Alford-Sullivan and Morett will be in Camp Hill, Pa. for a 7 p.m. evening reception and program at the Radisson Camp Hill. Register for the Harrisburg-area stop here.
For more on the Coaches Caravan, go to http://live.psu.edu/story/59325.
A dozen coaches will participate in the Coaches Caravan this spring, including (subject to change):
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
Mark Pavlik, men’s volleyball
The complete Coaches’ Caravan schedule with participating coaches follows. For registration links and more info, visit http://www.gopsusports.com/caravan or www.alumni.psu.edu/coachescaravan.
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) |
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May 1 | Baltimore (lunch) | |
Coaches: O’Brien (football), Chambers (men’s basketball), Alford-Sullivan (track and field/cross country), St. Pierre (women’s golf) |
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Washington, D.C. (evening) | ||
Coaches: O’Brien (football), Chambers (men’s basketball), Alford-Sullivan (track and field/cross country), St. Pierre (women’s golf) |
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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) |
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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), Pavlik (men’s volleyball) | ||
Pittsburgh (evening) | ||
Coaches: O’Brien (football), Gadowsky (men’s hockey), Brandwene (women’s hockey), Pavlik (men’s volleyball) | ||
May 15 | Youngstown, Ohio (lunch) | |
Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball), Gadowsky (men’s hockey), Pavlik (men’s volleyball) | ||
Cleveland, Ohio (evening) | ||
Coaches: O’Brien (football), Washington (women’s basketball), Gadowsky (men’s hockey), Pavlik (men’s volleyball) | ||
May 16 | Penn State Erie, The Behrend College (lunch) | |
Coaches: O’Brien (football), Gadowsky (men’s hockey), Pavlik (men’s volleyball) | ||
Buffalo, N.Y. (evening) | ||
Coaches: O’Brien (football), Gadowsky (men’s hockey), Brandwene (women’s hockey), Pavlik (men’s volleyball) |