Penn State football legend Wally Triplett meets with team after bye-week scrimmage

James Franklin grinned and bounced up and down on the balls of his feet a bit as he addressed media after practice on Wednesday night in Holuba Hall.

It could’ve been Penn State’s bye week taking its effect; but it was more likely the energy emanating from the head coach was due to the fact that he wasn’t five minutes removed from meeting football legend Wally Triplett.

“It’s obviously really cool,” said Franklin. “It’s a shame, because most of our kids probably don’t know the story. We went over his story in detail in the team meeting. ”

Triplett played at Penn State from 1946-48 before his selection in the 1949 NFL Draft. He was the first African-American to both be drafted by and play for an NFL team (he played for the Detroit Lions from 1949-50 and the Chicago Cardinals from 1952-53).

Legend has it that Triplett, alongside teammate Dennie Hoggard, was one of the reasons the “We Are” chant became a part of Penn State’s culture ( local lore aside, extensive research by Penn State historian Lou Prato found that Penn State cheerleaders helped develop the phrase in the late 1970s). As one of the few African Americans playing college football at the time, the Nittany Lions voted in 1946 to cancel a regular-season game at the University of Miami when told they could not bring their African American players.

It’s said (and confirmed in 2012 by Triplett himself) that then-captain Steve Suhey responded to Southern Methodist University’s similar request by saying, “We are Penn State. There will be no meetings.”

Triplett also caught the game-tying touchdown in the 1948 Cotton Bowl against SMU, as the first African American to play in the bowl game.

“To hear the story, and then see the man himself, in some ways, it probably hits home a little more with us (older guys)…” said Franklin. “To see the first African American — or one of the first African American — football players, to be here, and the history behind and significance of his role here in our program, and then to be the first African American football coach at Penn State … It’s pretty cool.”

Triplett, who was in attendance filming an ESPN “30 For 30” documentary, addressed the team after practice, as players stood respectively and silently around him.

“He goes, ‘You guys are really nice to each other! We hated each other!’ That was basically his message, that what started here a long time ago, it’s awesome for him to see that it’s still coming together,” said Franklin. “And that when he was here, it was a different time. Our country was (in) a different time, colleges were different. College athletics and football, specifically. And for him to look out and see so many different kids from so many different backgrounds, has got to be an unbelievable experience for him, and he shared that with us.

“And he shared we need a little more hate in our hearts, and that we need to practice with a little bit more ‘stuff and vinegar.’ ”

Assistant coach Terry Smith chimed in via Twitter on Wednesday night, after getting the chance to meet Triplett.

“Today was the greatest day in my PSU life,” he wrote. “Wally Triplett made success in the game possible for guys like me.”

Lucas ‘surprised’ by season-ending injury

Penn State senior safety Jordan Lucas is sidelined for the rest of the season due to injury, it was announced Tuesday afternoon.

“It was really hard on Jordan,” said Franklin. “To know that his time is coming to an end, or that it is at an end at Penn State. … But we’ve also played other guys, and had other guys prepared to step up; you have seen that all year long.”

Franklin said that Lucas, who had been nursing his injury since Penn State’s game against Buffalo, did not wish to have the specific nature of his injury released, and was surprised to find he would be out the rest of the year.

“I was kind of shocked when he got the final news and heard the test results, because he’s had some issues and has always kind of come back,” the head coach said. “I actually felt bad that I wasn’t there and wasn’t more involved, so I set up a meeting with him and he said he was the same way; he didn’t expect it to be season-ending.”

Franklin was, however, able to give Lucas some good news: Both he and defensive end Carl Nassib were invited to participate in this year’s Senior Bowl.

“He’s been a special kid. … I’m really proud of him,” said Franklin. He declined to discuss whether Lucas would be healthy enough to actually participate in the Senior Bowl, which takes place at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 30.

Bye week scrimmage Stevens-heavy

Penn State scrimmaged its non-travel players on Wednesday afternoon in Holuba Hall — which means third-string quarterback Tommy Stevens saw plenty of reps.

Stevens showed off his legs with a few read-option plays, and also connected with receiver Irwin Charles on a snappy button-hook route. Charles then shook his coverage and gained a couple yards before getting pushed out of bounds.

“It’s basically a head start,” Franklin said of the scrimmage. “It’s a head start on spring ball, on summer camp, just like bowl practices will be as well. It’s one thing to do skellies, it’s another thing to do situational drills, it’s another thing to go out and play live, except for the quarterback, and see how they’re going to react.”

Also in play was running back Johnathan Thomas, who took several carries up the middle of a very young offensive line, a group of which includes redshirt freshmen Chance Sorrell, Noah Beh, Adam De Boef, Brendan Brosnan and Chasz Wright, among others.

“They’re probably still a year or so away,” Franklin said of the progress of the group. “Typically, if you got it rolling the way you want, you shouldn’t play an offensive lineman (or really a defensive lineman) until their redshirt sophomore year.

“Obviously, if we felt like they were further ahead, we would be playing in games with a true two-deep, and we’re not really doing that right now. We’re manufacturing a two-deep with basically seven guys.”

Quotable: “Please jog off the field!” Franklin shouted at defensive end Shareef Miller, and then at tight end Mike Gesicki, in the midst of addressing media after practice. He then grinned.

“See? I’m positive with everybody.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 7:37 PM with the headline "Penn State football legend Wally Triplett meets with team after bye-week scrimmage."