Centre Daily Times Logo

Penn State football: Fans greet new coach James Franklin at University Park Airport | Centre Daily Times

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Archives
    • Contact Us
    • Plus
    • eEdition
    • Newsletters
    • Subscribe
    • About Us
    • Local
    • Penn State
    • Sandusky Scandal
    • Communities
    • Crime
    • Business
    • Education
    • Politics
    • Public Records
    • State
    • Nation/World
    • Weird News
    • Sports
    • College
    • Golf
    • High School
    • MLB
    • Motorsports
    • NFL
    • NHL
    • Outdoors
    • Penn State
    • State College Spikes
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • PSU Sports
    • PSU Football
    • PSU Basketball
    • PSU Baseball
    • PSU Hockey
    • PSU Soccer
    • PSU Volleyball
    • PSU Wrestling
    • Nittany Lines Blog
  • Penn State Football
    • Living
    • Announcements
    • Family Pages
    • Eat, Play, Live
    • Home & Garden
    • Entertainment
    • Weekender
    • Comics
    • Games & Puzzles
    • Celebrities
    • Horoscopes
    • Movie News & Reviews
    • Music
    • TV
    • Opinion
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Submit a Letter
  • Obituaries

  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Place An Ad
  • Mobile & Apps

Penn State Football

Penn State football: Fans greet new coach James Franklin at University Park Airport

By Chip Minemyer - cminemye@centredaily.com

    ORDER REPRINT →

January 11, 2014 12:51 PM

James Franklin’s first steps on the ground as Penn State football coach were toward his new team’s fans.

“It’s great to be home,” Franklin said after emerging from the plane that brought him and his family from Nashville, Tenn., to University Park Airport on Saturday afternoon.

Franklin coached at Vanderbilt the past three seasons. He is a native of Langhorne and was a quarterback at East Stroudsburg University.

After exiting the plane, he grabbed an umbrella and moved to a fence near the airport’s private terminal and greeted fans and media members who had been waiting in the rain.

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Centre Daily Times

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

Among the first to meet the new coach was Brent Kopcha, of Bellefonte. Franklin, wearing a blue and white tie, knelt and introduced himself to Kopcha’s two young daughters.

“I’ll never forget that,” Kopcha said.

At his press conference later, Franklin called the airport welcome “special.”

“We got to walk over and meet two beautiful young ladies at the fence, shake their hands,” Franklin said.

Early Saturday, the university announced that Franklin had been hired to succeed Bill O’Brien, who bolted Dec. 31 for the NFL’s Houston Texans. That announcement came just after the university trustees’ compensation committee approved Franklin’s contract.

The coach traveled with his wife, Fumi, and their two daughters, Shola and Addison.

“I didn’t expect him to come over and I definitely didn’t expect him to talk to us,” Kopcha said at the airport. “That made it all worthwhile, standing out here in the rain.”

Penn State did its best to whisk Franklin in without having him encounter fans or reporters. The plane taxied away from the general aviation terminal and to a hangar nearby, stopping in a spot mostly hidden by the building.

But Franklin would have none of it, making his first public appearance at the airport rather than a press conference later in the day.

“That was awesome,”said Aaron King, who was among the first to arrive Saturday to see Penn State’s 16th football coach land in Happy Valley.

The Centre Hall resident and decorated Iraq War veteran snapped pictures of Franklin with his cellphone, including an image of the coach giving him the thumbs-up sign.

Earlier, King got a thrill when, he said, Franklin followed him on Twitter.

“I am pumped,” King said. “When I saw the names they were throwing around, I was like, man, how awesome would it be if we could get Franklin?”

Kopcha said Franklin was his top choice for the job, too.

“I was cheering for him to get it,” Kopcha said. “I liked (Al) Golden and (Mike) Munchak, and you’ve got to cheer for the Penn State people. But I thought Franklin was the best choice.”

Kopcha pointed to Franklin’s success at Vanderbilt, where the Commodores won nine games and a bowl this past season.

“And he’s a Pennsylvania person, too,” Kopcha said.

“He turned Vanderbilt around,” King said. “They used to be the laughing stock of the SEC, and now they’re contenders. I was reading everything, hoping and praying we’d get him, and we did.”

Franklin’s flight from Nashville was delayed, apparently by weather.

But King was happy to wait a while longer.

“I wanted to be part of this,” King said.

  Comments  

Videos

Penn State’s new wide receivers coach aware of challenges

McSorley doesn’t want to put a ceiling on the next group of players

View More Video

Trending Stories

Here’s why Penn State wrestler Shakur Rasheed will ‘unfortunately’ be honored on Senior Day

February 19, 2019 05:44 PM

‘Ready and willing’: Why Penn State is confident it can replace OL Bates, McGovern

February 18, 2019 04:48 PM

Centre County to be hit with another ‘wintry mix.’ Here’s what it could mean for your commute

February 19, 2019 12:26 PM

Penn State wrestling mailbag: Can Iowa or Ohio State test the Nittany Lions at Big Tens?

February 18, 2019 05:08 PM

They love the job and their ‘firehouse family.’ What makes volunteer firefighters stay?

February 19, 2019 09:06 AM

things to do

Read Next

Penn State football adds dual-threat quarterback to 2020 recruiting class

Penn State Football

Penn State football adds dual-threat quarterback to 2020 recruiting class

By John McGonigal

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 19, 2019 08:42 PM

Bowens is the fifth prospect to join Penn State’s 2020 class

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Centre Daily Times

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE PENN STATE FOOTBALL

‘Ready and willing’: Why Penn State is confident it can replace OL Bates, McGovern

Penn State Football

‘Ready and willing’: Why Penn State is confident it can replace OL Bates, McGovern

February 18, 2019 04:48 PM
Penn State football freshmen, early enrollees dance at Thon 2019 pep rally

Penn State Football

Penn State football freshmen, early enrollees dance at Thon 2019 pep rally

February 17, 2019 04:22 AM
State of the program: Nittany Lions address Galiano, early enrollees as spring camp nears

Penn State Football

State of the program: Nittany Lions address Galiano, early enrollees as spring camp nears

February 16, 2019 07:00 PM
How Penn State football’s Thon Explorers Program put things ‘into perspective’ for Nittany Lions

Penn State Football

How Penn State football’s Thon Explorers Program put things ‘into perspective’ for Nittany Lions

February 16, 2019 04:30 PM
Penn State assistant coach Phil Galiano leaving to pursue NFL opportunity

Penn State Football

Penn State assistant coach Phil Galiano leaving to pursue NFL opportunity

February 15, 2019 09:20 AM
Former Penn State WR Juwan Johnson transferring to Oregon Ducks

Penn State Football

Former Penn State WR Juwan Johnson transferring to Oregon Ducks

February 14, 2019 07:10 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Centre Daily Times App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Photo Store
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Information
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • Place an Obituary
  • Today's Circulars
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story