NEW YORK - The Penn
State Coaches Caravan rolled into New York City on Wednesday afternoon
following a lunch stop in Woodbridge, N.J., which marked the ninth event on the
18-stop trek over three weeks.
Coaches Caravan Registration
Head football coach Bill O'Brien, Lady Lions coach Coquese Washington and men's
golf coach Greg Nye spoke at again spoke at both events on Wednesday. Take a look through highlights of the Coaches
Caravan stops in the Woodbridge Hilton and the Sheraton New York.
Stop IX - Woodbridge
More than 140 Penn State fans and alums filled third-floor ballroom inside
the Woodbridge Hilton for the midway point of the Coaches Caravan. With the room being smaller than some of the
stops, the lunch presentation had an intimate feel for the fans to be able to
get up close and personal with all three coaches.
A few new topics came up in the Woodbridge presentation and media meeting with
some of the New York Metro media. Coach
O'Brien told the media that his first trip to Beaver Stadium with Herb Combs,
the supervisor of the athletic fields, came long after he accepted the head
coaching job. Combs turned on the Beaver
Stadium at 5:30 a.m. for Coach O'Brien to visit. He labeled the visit as one of the "wow"
moments in his first four months on the job.
Coach Washington urged the crowd to grill the "rookie", Coach O'Brien, during
the Q&A portion of the program in Woodbridge. He was put on the spot by a fan asking which
flavor was his favorite at the Penn State Creamery. Coach O'Brien's answer, "Peachy Paterno."
VIDEO: Coach O'Brien Talks Recruiting in New Jersey
Stop X: New York
From Woodbridge, the
Coaches Caravan motorcoach rolled north on the New Jersey Turnpike en route to
the Lincoln Tunnel and a trip through the heart of midtown Manhattan. With the Sheraton New York just a few blocks
from one of the most famous places in the world, we took a walk with Coach
O'Brien down to Times Square before the media festivities began. He had not been to Manhattan in several years
prior to Wednesday's trip.
Joining the three coaches in New York was women's volleyball head coach Russ Rose. Coach Rose shared a story of his trip to the
2009 NIT games in Madison Square Garden where he and Coach Paterno walked to
the arena and visited a street vendor without anyone recognizing who they were.
Coach Rose provided great humor during his speech, but the five-time national
champion inspired the crowd with remarks of how the Penn State fans and alums
truly fuel the coaches at Penn State with their passion for the university.
As he did in Woodbridge, Coach O'Brien weaved Jets and Giants talk into his
speech. Having defeated the Jets by a
score of 37-16 last season in MetLife Stadium, Coach O'Brien joked that he is
looking forward to playing neutral site games there after his successful trips
in the NFL.
He wants the Nittany Lions to play complementary football from here on
out. What he means by complementary
football is the offense helping the defense succeed by scoring points and
keeping them off the field or the defense forcing quick punts of opposing teams
to give the ball back to the offense. He
used a New York-specific example to drive home his point.
"The Giants played complementary football by pinning us deep in our own
territory. We had to keep driving 95 yards to score points. That's why you won the Super Bowl. I'm mad at
you people," Coach O'Brien joked.
Penn State has a great fan and alumni base in New York City. Several people we talked to after the show
said the Nittany Lion fans band together and watch the football games every
Saturday in different establishments on Manhattan. The Big Apple's Penn State faithful was
thrilled to have an opportunity to host the coaches in an event on their home
soil on Thursday night.
The coaches in attendance felt the same way.
"It is an honor to represent you wherever we go," Coach Washington said.
With the 10th stop completed, the Caravan travelers loaded the bus with Ray's
Pizza onboard en route to Hartford, which is stop No. 11 on Thursday morning.
VIDEO: Penn State Coaches Talk in New York City
Hear from head coaches Coquese Washington, Greg Nye and Russ Rose during the New York City stop on the Penn State Caravan.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing season
tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can call
1-800-648-8269 (1-800-NITTANY) weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce
Jordan Ticket Center.
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Media Specialist Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony
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