Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/916653
P O S T S E A S O N P R E V I E W >> P E N N S T A T E | I t was in the mid-1800s when Cor- nelius Vanderbilt helped revolutionize the transportation industry. Consid- ered by historians to be one of America's first business tycoons, he owned large commercial steamboats and offered trips during the Gold Rush from New York to California, via a route through Central America. He was so determined to reach the destination and secure extraordinary riches that his people called him the "Commodore." Later in life, the Commodore tackled the railroad industry, establishing routes of travel unlike any the country had seen before, connecting Manhattan to Chicago with an eventual aim to link a direct line to San Francisco. He had gotten a taste of that gold once, and he wanted more. Van- derbilt's personality was competitive and aggressive and he wasn't known to be the most charitable businessman of his time. But four years before his death, he do- nated $1 million to construct and endow a college in Nashville, Tenn. That college would later be named in his honor, and to this day, its athletics mascot is the Com- modore. One hundred and thirty-eight years after Vanderbilt founded his university, it hired James Franklin to take over its foot- ball program. In just a few seasons, Franklin became the most accomplished football coach in school history. He achieved success in harsh conditions – his 26 predecessors had established only a modest tradition – by going to lengths that others wouldn't have dreamed imag- inable. Sail halfway across the globe for a shot at fortune? Don't tell Franklin that he can't. Similar to Cornelius Vanderbilt's, Franklin's career eventually evolved into a second phase. After leading the Com- modores to three consecutive bowl ap- pearances, an unprecedented feat, Franklin set sail for larger waters. Now finishing his fourth season as Penn State's boss, he sees a shiny payoff on the hori- zon. But had it not been for those who helped lift them, Franklin and Vanderbilt would- n't have reached such lofty heights. Van- derbilt needed crews to help build his railroads and then clients who had enough faith in him to follow in his jour- When James Franklin headed to PSU, a number of his former Vanderbilt recruits followed him. Some have gone on to play key roles in the Lions' football revival LANDING ON THEIR FEET