Blue White Illustrated

more year, Bowden hadn't set foot on the school's campus since he was forced out at the end of the 2009 season. But last fall, Barron organized a weekend-long tribute during which Bowden returned to Doak Campbell Stadium and planted the ceremonial spear on the field before the Seminoles' game against North Carolina State. Barron told the Palm Beach Post that he reached out to Bowden because "much of the psyche of the university is tied to this great coach who put football on the map and helped make FSU a household name." At Penn State, Joe Paterno occupies a similar place in the minds of many gradu- ates and fans. But his exit was even more contentious than Bowden's, and Barron was noncommittal when asked during his introductory news conference how the university should acknowledge its former coach. "I watched all of his great strengths as a faculty member and as a dean, and as someone who loves this in- stitution," he said, "but in my view, what- ever we do, we have to make sure that we do it with a high sense of dignity and hon- or. And sometimes that takes time." Paterno's departure and the subse- quent fallout – the dismantling of his statue, the Freeh report's stinging alle- gations, the imposition of harsh NCAA sanctions – continue to inflame the Penn State community. Even among the trustees, there remain tensions between those who supported Paterno's dis- missal and recently elected members of the board who view it as a capitulation to media pressure. At his introduction, Barron took care to note that he has not been a part of the Penn State community for the past eight years, but he expressed confidence that the rifts can be bridged. "My feeling," he said, "is that with the opportunity to talk about the greatness of this universi- ty, all the wonderful things that it's do- ing, all the wonderful things that it can do and will do, that this is one commu- nity that is so dedicated to this universi- ty that I believe we will all come together because we love the institution so much." – MATT HERB The future of the Blue-White Game may have been in limbo under Bill O'Brien, who ex- pressed reservations about the annual intrasquad clash after running back Zach Zwinak suf- fered a wrist injury last year. But O'Brien's gone, and the Blue- White Game is still here. Kickoff for this year's game will be at 1:30 p.m. April 12, and James Franklin is clearly looking forward to his first appearance on the Nittany Lions' sideline. He's embracing the event in the hope that a strong turnout will help build enthusiasm for the program and impress recruits – both recent signees and the prospective Class of 2015 mem- bers whom Penn State will be inviting to campus that week- end. To that end, Franklin is ditching the offense-vs.-defense format that O'Brien instituted two years ago in favor of a more conventional and easily under- stood scoring system. He's hop- ing that a more fan-friendly ap- proach will help him meet his stated attendance goal of at least 80,000 fans. That's an ambitious objective, especially with the game having been moved up a week due to the Easter holiday. But Penn State has a history of strong atten- dance. In 2012, the scrimmage drew an estimated 60,000 fans, the nation's third-highest spring football game total. The game attracted record-breaking crowds in excess of 70,000 from 2007-09, topped by 76,500 at the 2009 contest. Last year's at- tendance was down due in part to the unseasonably cold and snowy weather. As in past years, the 2014 Blue- White Game will be the center- piece of an entire weekend of ac- tivities. The popular autograph session with the team returns to Beaver Stadium and will take place in the late morning prior to the game. The time for the autograph ses- sion will be announced in March. The Penn State football Fan Fes- tival, with numerous displays and vendors, will take place on Curtin Road as it does during the season. The 5th Annual Paterno Family Beaver Stadium Run/Family Fun Walk to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania is set for Sunday, April 13. Participants will finish at the 50-yard line in Beaver Sta- dium for the 3-mile run or 1-mile walk. For more information, go to: specialolympics- pa.org/beaver-stadium-run With the Penn State Coaches' Caravan slated to kick off in State College later this spring, the Nit- tany Lion Club will not have a Blue-White Event this year the morning of the spring game. As in previous years, there will be no admission or parking fee for the Blue-White Game. Stadi- um parking lots will open at 8 a.m. The times for stadium gate openings will be announced in March. FOOTBALL Big turnout sought for spring game

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