PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dressed in a navy blue suit with a dark tie and a Penn State button pinned near his heart, new Nittany Lions football coach Bill O’Brien kicked off the first leg of a nine-day, 18-stop bus tour in Philadelphia on Monday.
Joined by head men’s basketball coach Pat Chambers and field hockey coach Charlene Morett, O’Brien received an enthusiastic welcome from about 250 alumni, former players and supporters who attended the luncheon at the Doubletree Hotel.
“I know it’s a very special place,” O’Brien said. “What I try to do every single day is go in there with our staff and our players, and work extremely hard to make sure that we carry on the tradition of winning football games and graduating players.”
O’Brien replaced Joe Paterno, who died in January at age 85.
“I want them to know,” O’Brien said, “that I’m in charge of a football program that is part of a great athletic program that is a part of a very special university.”
