Blue White Illustrated

Jim Tarman, the longtime administra- tor who led Penn State's transition into the Big Ten Conference, died Dec. 31 in State College at the age of 89. Tarman joined the university's athlet- ics sta9 in 1958 as sports publicity di- rector and worked for the department for 36 years. He was promoted to athletic director in 1982, a po- sition he held until his retirement on Dec. 31, 1993. Current athletic di- rector Sandy Barbour eulogized Tarman as "a passionate, dedi- cated and obviously highly in8uential member of the Inter- collegiate Athletics and university sta9." "Jim played a signi7cant role in the growth of our athletic program, includ- ing leading our women's programs into NCAA competition, new and improved facilities for student-athletes and, of course, our invitation and transition into the Big Ten Conference," Barbour said in a prepared statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Tarman family and all of Jim's friends and colleagues at Penn State and throughout the nation." During Tarman's tenure as athletic di- rector, the stature and scope of Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics soared nationally, facilities for Nittany Lion student-athletes expanded, and the women's varsity programs switched their governance, moving from the As- sociation for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women to the NCAA. But the biggest change that Tarman oversaw during his tenure as athletic di- rector was the move to the Big Ten. Be- fore joining one of the nation's most prestigious conferences, Penn State had a number of a:liations, from the At- lantic 10 in basketball and other sports to the Eastern Wrestling League. The football team had no a:liation, having established itself as the most prominent of the Eastern independents. But the de- sire for a more stable revenue stream had helped persuade school o:cials to con- sider conference membership. Working closely with Penn State presi- dent Bryce Jordan, head football coach Joe Paterno and others, Tarman was in- strumental in positioning the Nittany Lions for membership in the Big Ten in 1989. The conference presidents voted to admit Penn State in December 1989, and the university was o:cially invited to the join the league on June 4, 1990. With the move to the Big Ten, Penn State's programs became fully funded in scholarships, were able to add assistant coaches and sta:ng, and facility up- grades began to enable the Nittany Lions to be more competitive with their new conference brethren and nationally. Penn State began Big Ten competition in some sports in 1991-92. The 7rst of the Lions' 104 Big Ten championships came in 1992, as the women's volleyball program won the 7rst of its 17 league ti- tles. In the fall of 1993, the 7eld hockey, men's soccer and women's volleyball squads all won Big Ten crowns. A year later, the football program won its 7rst Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl, becoming the 7rst team in league history to 7nish 12-0. O B I T U A R Y Jim Tarman, who oversaw move to Big Ten, dies at 89 TARMAN R E M E M B E R I N G J I M T A R M A N Jim made so many important and program-setting contributions during his tenure at Penn State, starting in sports information and moving to director of athletics. He was instrumental in our transition to the Big Ten and he and his wife, Louise, devoted their life's work to Penn State. Penn State not only lost a great leader in college athletics but a true fan of all the teams, coaches and alumni. RUSS ROSE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL COACH Jim had a signi7cant impact on the success of the Penn State athletic program. I am truly appreciative of the opportunity he gave me when I was hired by Jim in 1987. I knew that I was returning home to a vibrant athletic program that operated on family values and equality. He deeply cared about our student-athletes, coaches and everyone associ- ated with Penn State Athletics. CHARLENE MORETT-CURTISS FIELD HOCKEY COACH I am indebted to Jim Tarman for allowing me to work at Penn State University, 7rst as a coach and teacher and then as an administrator. His vision and standards en- abled our athletic program to move forward not only in the Big Ten Conference, but nationally as well. He was respected and honored among his peers and colleagues for his e9orts and accomplishments. SUSAN DELANEY-SCHEETZ FORMER ASSOCIATE AD It's hard for me to describe how much Jim Tarman meant to me. Those early years were hard, and I started to wonder whether it was meant to be. Jim was so unbeliev- able. He told me, 'Stay the course and keep doing what you're doing.' That meant the world to me; I can't describe how much that meant to me then and still means to me today. BRUCE PARKHILL FORMER MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH I owe everything to Jim. I never would have made it in [the NFL] without him. He was a teacher. He taught me organization and how to be an executive. No detail was too small. He had such integrity. He had all these ideas. I did the same things he did when I went to the Colts. ERNIE ACCORSI RETIRED NEW YORK GIANTS GM

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