Blue White Illustrated

N E W C O M E R S by strangers at airports and restau- rants and bars back home just for wearing their Penn State gear in public. The hysteria has since died down, but the university is bracing for more hard times, with Jerry San- dusky's trial set to begin this month and Louis Freeh's team of investiga- tors expected to release its findings this summer. In April, Penn State hired two public relations firms – in- cluding multinational powerhouse Edelman – to help get its message out. That effort is going to cost $2.5 million over the next year. While such expenditures are probably nec- essary for a university that finds it- self enmeshed in what is certain to be a long legal process, some of its best ambassadors in the coming years are likely to be the student- athletes cited in the pages that fol- low. Athletics may be at the center of the scandal, but they can also play a part in Penn State's redemption by showcasing the university at its best. I'm thinking, for example, of the contingent of wrestlers who were saluted by Penn State president Rodney Erickson during the trustees' May 4 meeting for main- taining a collective 3.56 GPA while contributing to a national champi- onship season. If the bad news for Penn State is that it's still very much in need of some feel-good stories, the good news is that you don't have to look very hard to find them. Truth is, they're everywhere. Bill O'Brien was talking specifically about his own recruits when he said in February that "you've got to give these guys a lot of credit. They com- mitted to Penn State University, they committed to the special place it is, where you can play football and get a degree. That was a testament to their mental toughness, their ability to stick it out." It wasn't just the football prospects who did that. Everyone in this year's freshman class – the wrestlers and basketball players and swimmers and gymnasts – likewise kept the faith, standing by their college choice when many of them could have walked away from it. You can be sure we'll be writing about them again. 16 J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 1 2 O F I N F L U E N C E ›› Tim Owen TITLE WINNER Gulibon went 136-4 at Derry Area High in western Pennsylva- nia. He's looking to com- pete for a starting spot at Penn State as a true fresh- man, either at 125 or 133 pounds. T I M OW E N | B L U E W H I T E C O N T R I B U T O R on the back of a fire truck through his hometown, in a parade that's been as- sembled specifically for him. But after winning a fourth consecu- B tive state title, becoming only the 10th four-timer in 75 years of Penn- eing the center of attention isn't re- ally Jimmy Gulibon's thing. Espe- cially when it requires him to ride sylvania high school wrestling, people are going to throw parades. "The town was good to me," Gulibon said, recalling the night he won his fourth PIAA championship. He ar- rived home after ousting Nick Zanet- ta of Keystone Oaks in the final with a 9-3 decision in Hershey, and people were already waiting for him. Hanging W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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