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O B I T U A R Y Pioneering Penn State icon Wally Triplett dies at 92 Former Nittany Lion standout and trail- blazer Wally Triplett died Nov. 8 at the age of 92 in Detroit. Triplett was one of the inspira- tions for Penn State's "We Are" moniker and was the first African-American to be drafted and play in the NFL. "This is a tremendous loss for not only our football program, but the Penn State commu- nity as a whole," head coach James Franklin said. "Wally was a trailblazer as the first African-American to be drafted and play in the NFL, and his influence continues to live on. He had a profound effect on me and the team when he visited in 2015 and shared valu- able lessons from his life story and ability to overcome. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Wally's family." Triplett, a tailback and linebacker for the Nittany Lions, was the first African-Ameri- can to start for Penn State, doing so in a 33-0 loss at Michigan State on Nov. 17, 1945. Later, Triplett and end Dennie Hoggard became the first African-Americans to play in the Cotton Bowl game on Jan. 1, 1948. Dallas was a segre- gated city at the time, but when asked to con- sider leaving Triplett and Hoggard at home, their teammates, led by team captain Steve Suhey, quickly responded in solidarity: "We are Penn State, there will be no meetings." Two years earlier, the team had voted unani- mously to cancel a game at the University of Miami, which also was segregated in the 1940s. In the 1947 season, Triplett averaged 4.0 yards per carry (137 yards on 34 carries) and 28.2 yards per reception (141 yards on five N E W S & N O T E S HISTORY MAKER Triplett made his first career start in 1945 against Michigan State. It was the first time an African- American player had ever started a game for the Lions. Photo cour- tesy of Penn State Ath- letics

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