Beaver Stadium’s field has a new name, but some Penn State trustees wanted Paterno honored instead
A group of Penn State trustees pushed back against a $50 million gift that would name the field at Beaver Stadium because they wanted the opportunity to honor former football coach Joe Paterno.
The Penn State trustees met Monday morning to approve a new name for the field at Beaver Stadium by a 22-8 vote. The field will be known as West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium for the next 15 years, with West Shore Home donating $50 million over that time period. But before the proposal was approved, there was a lot of discussion about the contributions of Paterno.
During the finance and investment committee meeting, Trustee Anthony Lubrano said he has been trying for years to get the university administration to “meaningfully” recognize the contributions of the Paternos. He said it was a sad day for Penn State.
“This is a very sad and sobering day in the history of Penn State,” Lubrano said. “Today for many of us the music dies. Today, the Penn State we know and love is no more because today we’re about to commit the ultimate betrayal. How fitting, given that Catholics around the world are celebrating the Lenten season. The only question we should ask is who will play Judas? For a few silver pieces we’re about to sell our souls and in doing so turn our backs on two people who gave so much to this institution, Joe and Sue Paterno.”
Joe Paterno was the Penn State football coach from 1966 until 2011, when he was fired in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. He died 10 weeks later. Sue Paterno has remained an active member of the community, volunteering for events involving Thon, the Special Olympics and many others, and has continued to donate to charitable causes.
About a year ago, Lubrano brought forward a resolution to the board to rename the football field after Paterno, but withdrew it at the request of Trustee Jay Paterno, Joe Paterno’s son. During the full board meeting Monday, Lubrano proposed a similar amendment that would declare a Joe and Sue Paterno day in the fall 2025 and naming the field the Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium at that time. Before it could go to a vote, David Kleppinger, chair of the board, threw it out because it did not first go through the facilities and academic unit naming committee.
Kleppinger said he understood Lubrano’s perspective and said the university is “extremely thankful” for the contributions of the Paternos.
“Over those many years, there have been significant recognitions of the Paterno family support to the university, which include their philanthropic efforts, their commitment to education and academics, and particularly to our student athletes, and the many accomplishments that those athletes have achieved both on and off the field, and I want everyone to know that those recognitions will continue and can be expanded upon in the future,” Kleppinger said.
Matt McGloin, a trustee and former quarterback who played for Paterno, said by not giving Paterno the honor he deserves, the university is trying to eliminate the past and everything he stood for.
“And what’s happening now may look like a successful move, but I don’t believe it’s a very honorable one. And success without honor is an unseasoned dish. It will satisfy your hunger, but it won’t taste very good. I’m urging you to do the right thing for Penn State, to do the right thing for the Paterno family, to do the right thing for Joe. There shouldn’t be a price for our identity here at Penn State,” McGloin said.
Trustee Brandon Short was supportive of the idea to name the field after Paterno and said a main reason the board can’t build consensus on it is because of the “disruptive and inappropriate behavior” of some trustees. He alluded to lawsuits filed by both Lubrano and trustee Barry Fenchak. Lubrano’s lawsuit stemmed from an internal investigation he faced after initially pushing to name the field at Beaver Stadium after Paterno.
“They’ve tried to hurt the current football program by spreading misinformation and attempting to block any financial support for the program. They’ve leaked selected information to the press and told half truths in interviews to undermine leadership and to paint leadership in a bad light,” Short said. “They file costly lawsuits, and self-serving lawsuits against Penn State, which drain our time and resources that can be allocated toward other challenges that the university faces.
“I ask, how could the board majority build a consensus around honoring Joe Paterno with a group of trustees that have taken such a hostile stance toward Penn State? The answer is clear: They can’t, which is why these trustees are to blame for not having Paterno Field.”
Others were frustrated with how the discussions about the proposal brought to them by athletic director Pat Kraft turned into how everyone felt about Paterno. Trustee Naren Gursahaney said they all have tremendous respect for him and his family, and he is committed to finding a way to recognize them. But the decision in front of them is a financial one.
“My experience is Joe Paterno was a hell of a lot more than a football coach, and I think it might actually be too small to put his name on the football field at Penn State because his contributions were way beyond being a football coach. So I think it’s just frustrating that this is becoming a referendum on how we feel about Joe Paterno, because I think that’s wrong,” he said.
Trustees Ted Brown, Suzan Collins, Dan Delligatti, Fenchak, Lubrano, McGloin, Paterno and Short voted against naming the field the West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium.
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 1:53 PM.
