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NittanyWhiteOut

You’ve got to hand it to Tim Curley and the athletics department,  Faced with the adversity of four coaching vacancies in one offseason, they remain unfazed and simply replace the departing coaching legends with another.

The track record speaks for itself. Wrestling legend Cael Sanderson was snatched away from powerhouse Iowa State to to take over the wrestling program, Bob Warming was hired from his successful stint at Creighton to replace legendary Barry Gorman and now Penn State has lured Jeff Tambroni away from Cornell, member of the lacrosse powerhouse conference that is the Ivy league. In fact, the Ivy league has been represented in 9 of the last 18 championship games, returning with the title 6 times.

Even in the highly competitive league, Tambroni has led the Cornell Big Red to 8 consecutive Ivy league championships and 8 NCAA appearances including 3 quarterfinal, 2 semifinal and 1 title game appearance in just 10 seasons. Promising numbers for Penn State lacrosse fans who watched the program struggle in recent years under departed head coach Glenn Thiel. Thiel only managed to lead the Lions to 2 NCAA appearances in 33 seasons never making it past the first round.

Jeff Tambroni currently sits 5th among active Division I coaches in winning percentages (109-40 for .732) and is the 10th fastest coach to reach the 100-win milestone in just 134 games. His players have earned a combined 39 All-American honors

Despite his sparkling resume, it is his dedication to his player’s performance in the classroom that makes Tambroni the perfect fit at Penn State. In 10 seasons at Cornell, his players have accounted for 5 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, 3 Academic All-America second-team recipients, 2 Academic All-America first-team honorees and 2 Lowe’s Senior Class award, an honor that is given on the merits of classroom, competition, community and character.

Tambroni’s hire almost did not happen when Penn State originally targeted current Brown coach and past Penn State assistant coach, Lars Tiffany who eventually turned down the opportunity. Although Tiffany’s ties to the Nittany Lions makes him a good candidate to replace Glenn Thiel, he has since compiled a 38-20 record (.655) since 2007 at Brown including 2 shared Ivy league titles (with Cornell) and 1 NCAA berth. Jeff Tambroni however has led the Big Red to 9 consecutive seasons with 9 or more wins including a 73-21 (.776) record in the past 6 seasons and 51-15 (.773) since 2007. Tambroni was also a candidate for the Maryland vacancy before Penn State hired him. It may seem Tiffany’s rejection could very well be a blessing in disguise.

We look forward to welcoming Jeff Tambroni to the Penn State family and eagerly anticipate the heights he might elevate Penn State lacrosse to.

Related Posts:

1. Success with Honor: Creighton’s Bob Warming declared Penn State’s soccer coach
2. Farewell to Penn State Women’s LAX coach
3. Farewell to Penn State Women’s Gymnastics coach

NittanyWhiteOut

Make that four.

First it was men’s soccer, followed by men’s lacrosse, then women’s lacrosse suffered the same fate, now Steve Shephard, the head coach of the women’s gymnastics program has resigned to pursue other career opportunities. He marks the 8th coach in Penn State women’s gymnastics history.

“I have decided to retire from coaching after a 30 year career in gymnastics, to pursue other career opportunities,” said Shephard. “It has been my great honor, and privilege, to work with all of the gifted young people associated with this program over the last 21 years. I would like to thank Tim Curley, and all the great people at Penn State, for providing me with the wonderful opportunity to represent this great university. I wish all of the current, and future team members at PSU nothing but the best, and I hope for a healthy, and successful future in the years ahead.”

During his 18 year stint at Penn State, Steve amassed a 256-144-2 record including 8 national championship appearances, most recently in 2009. Last season however, ended in disappointment for the Lions who failed to qualify for nationals when they finished 3rd in regionals despite competing in the friendly confines of Rec Hall.

But it wasn’t just the success on the field that solidified Gorman’s place in Nittany Lions lore. It was his dedication to winning the Penn State Way, emphasizing the student aspect to his student-athletes that earned the coach 3 Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. 122 academic All-Big Ten recipients and 70 NACGC/W Scholar Athlete honors is proof that Gormans’ players excelled both on the field and in the classroom. In fact, his teams have ranked in the Top 35 in the nation academically since 2001.

Shephard’s resignation marks the fourth head coaching vacancy since April and that should worry Penn State fans. It is a disturbing trend for a university that has a collection of head coaches who have been around for a long time with tenure-like status.

Although Shephard told the team he wants to continue to work at Penn State when he announced his resignation, assistant coach Jessica Bastardi will be the interim head coach until Shephard’s successor is found.

Penn State would be remiss not to contact women’s gymnastics coaching legend Suzanne Yoculan who coached the Georgia Gym Dogs to 10 national titles in 26 years, including 5 straight from 2005 up until her final season in 2009.

Her strong ties to Penn State that makes her the perfect candidate to replace Shephard. Youclan competed for the Nittany Lions and graduated from Penn State in 1975 with a B.S. in therapeutic recreation with a dance emphasis. She will be the long shot candidate for the job though considering she announced her retirement in 2009 from Georgia. It would take a heck of a recruiting pitch to convince Yoculan to come out of retirement when she clearly has very little left to prove.

Related Posts:

1. Farewell to Penn State Women’s LAX coach
2. Farewell to a lacrosse coaching legend
3. Success with Honor: Creighton’s Bob Warming declared Penn State’s soccer coach

NittanyWhiteOut

First it was men’s soccer, then came men’s lacrosse, now Suzanne Isidor is resigning as the head coach for the women’s lacrosse program after 10 years for personal reasons. She marks the 8th coach in Penn State women’s lacrosse history.

“It has been my honor and privilege to serve as the head coach at Penn State,” Isidor said in the press release. “Penn State is a special place and I am grateful to have been able to coach not only great players but great people during my tenure. I want to thank Tim Curley and Sue Scheetz for the opportunity to coach at my alma mater and for their constant help and support. I will always cherish the friendships and relationships I have made while in Happy Valley and leave with nothing but fond memories of my time here.”

Although she was a wildly successful 4 time letterwinner for the Nittany Lions leading her team to 3 NCAA Tournaments including the semifinals her senior year, she was a lackluster head coach for Penn State. Heading into her 9th season last year, her overall record stood at 74-79, a losing one. Suzanne Isidor wasn’t any more successful in what turned out to be her final season, going a lackluster 10-7 (a dismal 1-4 in the ALC) with a 15-9 loss to #2 Northwestern in the American Lacrosse Conference tournament solidifying her final record with Penn State at 84-86, still under .500.

During her 10 seasons, she only managed to lead the Nittany Lions to 2 NCAA tournaments and 1 American Lacrosse Conference title game appearance. For a program that is tied for 5th in the nation with 2 national titles in 1987 and 1989, it just wasn’t good enough.

Even though she wasn’t as successful on the field as most fans would have liked, she embodied the Penn State Way, stressing the student aspect in her student-athletes. Her players received recognition by the IWLCA on its honor roll or as scholar athletes 16 times and one was honored as a First Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American. Nittany Lions have also earned Academic All-ALC honors on a remarkable 144 occasions since 2002, not including the class of 2010, which has yet to be released.

Her biggest mark with the Penn State women’s lacrosse program was with the creation of the American Lacrosse Conference in 2001. She presided over the Nittany Lions in 2002 as they competed in their first season as one of 7 charter members of the lacrosse only conference. The American Lacrosse Conference, which comprises of Florida, John Hopkins, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Vanderbilt has emerged as one of the toughest conferences in the nation for lacrosse. In fact Northwestern, a member of the ALC has participated in the last 6 NCAA women’s lacrosse championship games winning 5 titles.

It is always a shame to see one of our own move on from our coaching ranks, but this provides Penn State with a great opportunity to bring in a proven winner much like they have done with recent wrestling and men’s soccer hires.  Might I be so bold as to suggest Kelly Amonte Hiller who just led Northwestern to 6 consecutive NCAA women’s lacrosse championship games winning 5 titles along the way?

Penn State will surely involve current associate Athletic Director Susan Delaney-Scheetz to be part of the national search for Isidor’s replacement. Susan Delaney-Scheetz coached the women’s lacrosse program for 4 seasons (67-9, 88.1% winning percentage) from 1986 – 1989 leading the Nittany Lions to their only 2 national titles in 87′ and 89′ before she was promoted to associate AD in 2002. It would almost be irresponsible for Penn State to ignore her impeccable lacrosse background when she is so well connected to the women’s lacrosse coaching fraternity.

We wish Suzanne Isidor the best in her future endeavors.

Related Posts:

1. Farewell to a lacrosse coaching legend
2. Success with Honor: Creighton’s Bob Warming declared Penn State’s soccer coach
3. Farewell to a Soccer Coaching legend

NittanyWhiteOut

It seems as if Penn State will be replacing one soccer coaching legend with another.

Penn State announced that Creighton’s Bob Warming will become Penn State soccer’s 11th head coach. This news should delight fans of the soccer program at Penn State.

Bob Warming currently sits 6th among active Division I head coaches and 15th all-time with 383 victories over 32 years. He is also one of two coaches ever to coach 2 different programs to the College Cup.

In essence, Bob Warming is Creighton soccer. In just 3 short years, Bob Warming led the Creighton Blue Jays to a perfect 19-0-0 record and the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament. During his cumulative 14 seasons with the Blue Jays, he compiled a 190-61-34 record (.726) including 7 Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships and led 11 of those teams to the NCAA tournament.

He also helped plan and develop Michael G. Morrison Stadium, a $13 million, 6,000 seater venue, arguably one of the finest soccer facilities in the nation. It is no coincidence that Creighton rank among national attendance leaders annually with their state of the art facility and an impeccable 107-18-15 home record.

In spite of his glowing resume, Bob Warming greatest achievement as coach has to be the consistent development of his players. Although he began his stint at Creighton in 1990, he left the program for St Louis University in 1994 before returning to Omaha in 2001. Since his return, Warming has had at least one player selected in each MLS Draft. Warming’s Creighton is the only college program in the nation to have a player selected in every MLS Draft ever held accounting for 42 former Bluejays that have gone on to play professionally since ‘93. How could you compete with that stat line when recruiting the top players in the nation?

Penn State soccer fans should be thrilled with the selection of Bob Warming as the school’s next head coach. He has a proven track record both on and off the field. In addition to success on the field, he was pivotal in the construction and upgrades of soccer facilities at both Creighton and St. Louis University. One would expect any deal to lure him away from Creighton involved promises to upgrade existing facilities at Penn State. Almost a requirement if you have ever attended a soccer game at Jeffery Field. It is desperately in need of upgrades especially when you compare it to Morrison Stadium Bob Warming just left behind.

It is nice to see Penn State show a commitment to excellence in sports other than football and the administration’s recent track record with Cael Sanderson and Bob Warming should have fans excited that the school is actually looking outside the Penn State family for quality head coaches.

Related Posts:

1. Farewell to Penn State Women’s LAX coach
2. Farewell to a Soccer Coaching legend
3. Penn State baseball reclaims Keystone rivalry in thrilling fashion

NittanyWhiteOut

To those of you who aren’t Seinfeld fans, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about.  Here’s a refresher course.

But for those of you who know exactly what I’m talking about, you’re in for a treat.  Here at NittanyWhiteOut HQ, we’ve got our Festivus pole up, we’re preparing the Festivus dinner, and while we await the Festivus miracles and the feats of strength, we’ll take advantage of another Festivus tradition, the airing of greivances, and address some of the problems we have with some of Penn State’s decision-making in the past year.  Here it is everybody, how the following people have disappointed us in the past year:

• Hey, Tim Curley–do we really need to play 7.5 home games a year?  I’m pretty sure most other schools sponsor the same number of sports as Penn State does, and yet the vast majority of them aren’t afraid to play a marquee game every year.  So what the hell were you thinking when you asked Penn State fans to pay full price to watch games against such great opponents as Temple, Akron, and Eastern Illinois?  One of those games is fine, and two is acceptable, but when Syracuse is a stinker, and Temple ends up being your best non-conference opponent, somebody’s failed in the scheduling department.  Next year will be even better, with Alabama an away game, you’ll be treating fans to a lineup of Temple, Kent State, and Youngstown State, and a Big Ten slate devoid of any of the marquee teams in the conference means Northwestern might well be our best home game in 2010.  But that’s not all–implementing a new ticket policy for students which made it damn near impossible to even give your tickets away, much less sell them?  You deserve all the blame for the empty seats this year, not anyone else.  Now, we find out that you’re taking away our sideline seats and throwing all the students in the end zone? Do I need to remind you that the team is PENN STATE’s team and that we, as PENN STATE students, shouldn’t be tossed aside like an afterthought?  Shame on you, Mr. Curley, for selling out so brutally, and turning what actually once might have been “The Best Show in College Football” into a corporate farce of marketing.  Now, all fans will have to pay what amount to PSLs and you’re increasing prices across the board?  I can only hope that you, and Guido D’Elia get called out over and over again, especially when people look at the half empty student section for games like the aforementioned jokes and even against Minnesota in the snow.  You’ve ruined Paternoville, you’ve ruined tailgating, you’ve taken away all the beauty of college football-the marching bands, the tradition, in favor of cheesy pumped-in arena rock songs and corporate sponsorship.
• Hey, Joe Paterno–I’m not going to complain, as some “fans” have, that you should be forced out, that a 10-2 season is a disaster, that you’ve clearly lost touch with your players, because even if that was true, you’ve earned the right to go out on your own terms.  But after all these years, would it kill you to hire a special teams coach?  This year’s unit couldn’t have been worse, with Collin Wagner physically unable to kick a field goal of more than 40 or so yards and spotty on anything closer, with a punter who was solid but coverage that was a sieve, with a kick and punt return unit that put the ball on the floor more often than they broke a big one and a kick coverage unit that ranked among the worst in the country.  Take a look at Frank Beamer, and see what an advantage his teams have by dominating that area of the game. They’ve consistently created more scoring chances for themselves with big returns and key blocked kicks when they need them.  Now look at your team, and see that a blocked punt doomed us against Iowa and a long punt return against set the tone in the Ohio State game, and maybe, if our special teams were merely mediocre, we’d have won one of those games.  I know, not all schools have a special teams coordinator, but why wouldn’t you want to give your team the absolute best chance to compete?
• Hey, Darryl Clark–stop complaining.  Look, I like you, you were a good leader for this team, and whenever you’ve got a quarterback who’s a two-time All-Conference selection, you can’t argue about the production on the field.  That’s right Daryll, against the Michigan States and Illinoises and even the Michigans of the world you cleaned up.  But against Iowa, you were horrendous, twice, though your offensive line certainly wasn’t doing you any favors.  Against Ohio State this year, you couldn’t complete a pass of more than 5 yards.  And even though the Lions beat the Buckeyes last year in Columbus, you were on the bench while your backup scored the winning touchdown.  That’s why I take umbrage with a recent Twitter post you put up.  Sorry, Daryll, but I thought your legacy was on the line against Ohio State this year, and, well, we both know how that turned out.  You were a great quarterback for us, but no matter what happens on New Year’s Day, you’ll be remembered as the QB who couldn’t win the big one.  So don’t worry, Daryll, your legacy isn’t on the line, it’s already been determined.  Just not the way you’d like.  That’s not to say I’d take these years back, that’s not to say I’d prefer Pat Devlin, that’s not to say I don’t appreciate and respect all you’ve done for this team.  Your legacy will always be as a great leader, as someone who put the Anthony Morelli years firmly in the rearview mirror, and who excelled in the vast majority of his games.  This grievance is just to beg you not to be indignant when you had the chance to leave your mark. Sorry, Daryll, but you’re no Michael Robinson.

Hat tip to BSD

• Hey, Cael Sanderson–I get it, you’re quite possibly the greatest wrestler of all time, you’re an Olympic legend, and you’re a hell of a wrestling coach.  We were all thrilled when you came here, and early returns, both on the mat and in wrestling recruiting, have been sparkling.  You’re certainly earning the record contract that you signed, even though some (me) might argue that the money would be better spent on bringing in some marquee opponents for the football team.  But this isn’t about that.  This is about your dictator-like tendencies to suspend a wrestler for having a beer on his 21st birthday.  You made it a team rule that wrestlers couldn’t drink any alcohol during the wrestling season, and I really don’t like that rule.  These wrestlers are just kids, college students, and it’s not fair to hold your athletes to that high of a standard.  I’m not suggesting that these student-athletes should be going out and getting drunk every weekend, but how about a little trust in your kids to be responsible?  One beer on his 21st birthday isn’t taking this wrestler out of his game, it’s not making him out of shape, and that rule serves no purpose other than to assert your dominance, Mr. Sanderson, over a bunch of college students.  I know, you want your wrestlers to be at their peak physical condition, but why can’t we just let kids be kids, and athletes second?
• Hey, Floyd Mayweather–man up and fight Manny Pacquiao.
• Hey, Phillies fans–realize that you got completely fleeced in the Roy Halladay trade.
• Hey, anybody on the Penn State basketball team other than Talor Battle–please, help that man out. He can’t do it all on his own, okay?
• Hey, Ed DeChellis–you should have a play that doesn’t involve dicking around until there are 5 seconds left on the shot clock and then having Talor Battle throw up an off-balance three.
• Hey, readers–thanks for your support of NittanyWhiteOut over the past year, have a Merry Christmas, Joyous Kwanzaa, for those of you who celebrated a Chappy Chanukah last week, I hope your candles burned bright, and to all: May your 2010s be better than your 2009s!

Related Posts:

1. Happy birthday Joe Paterno!
2. Scoping out the Secondary Market
3. Is Greg Paulus coming to Happy Valley?