UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., May 15, 2014 - Another portion of the Beaver Stadium videoboard project was completed Thursday, as a gigantic, 35' by 25' back lit Nittany Lion logo was secured on the north side of Beaver Stadium.
The 6,500-pound logo is on the back of the new stadium videoboard overlooking Park Avenue and contains 1,400 LED lights. The white portion of the logo will illuminate; giving the illusion that the Nittany Lion is floating.
An exact replica will be added to the new Beaver Stadium south videoboard next week, weather permitting.
Bunting Graphics constructed the two Nittany Lion logos in Pittsburgh, arriving in University Park in four pieces. Both logos are being assembled on site prior to being raised into position. The Barton Malow Company is performing the construction of the logos.
The interior portion of the videoboard construction is continuing. The south side videoboard is completely assembled and is going through signal testing. The north side is scheduled for its testing next week.
The videoboards measure at 53 yards (North) and 43 yards (South), respectively. Project manager Forrest Brewer of Barton Malow Company stated, "This is your TV on steroids." They are the second and third of the latest generation to be produced. The first was installed at Churchill Downs.
"Truly exciting to share this definable moment with our fans as part of a project that's been in the works for more than a few years and is now close to the goal line," Jim Nachtman, Director of Broadcasting Operations of Penn State Athletics said. "Our student-atheltes, Coach Franklin and his staff, our alumni and fans deserve an unrivaled gameday presentation when experiencing a game at Beaver Stadium. I'm confident these new displays will allow us to deliver that experience. Can't wait for September 6."
Prior to this year's project, the original videoboards had been installed prior to the 2000 (north) and 2001 (south) seasons, respectively. Construction on the videoboards is scheduled to be complete prior to the Nittany Lions' home opener, Sept. 6 vs. Akron.
James Franklin was named Penn State's 16th head football coach on January 11. A product of Langhorne, Pa., Franklin led Vanderbilt University to unprecedented success the past three years as head coach, including consecutive nine-win seasons and bowl victories the past two years, as well as back-to-back Top 25 finishes, all for the first time in Vanderbilt history. In his 20th year of coaching, Franklin was a two-time All-PSAC quarterback at East Stroudsburg University.
More than 3,000 new season tickets have been sold for the 2014 campaign. There again was no increase in season tickets prices for Penn State football for the upcoming season. New season tickets are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Recent Graduate ticket program was implemented in January and gives Penn State graduates who earned an undergraduate degree from 2010-14 at any campus the opportunity to purchase up to two season tickets for $300 per ticket for the seven-game home schedule this fall. The cost includes a $50 donation to the Nittany Lion Club and is a savings of 35 percent from the regular $460 season ticket price ($360 + $100 NLC donation).
More than 450 Recent Graduate program season tickets have been sold, with approximately 2,500 seats remaining available. The seats are located in the North Upper Deck, in Sections NAU-NLU. Interested recent graduates can call 1-800-NITTANY, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Penn State returns 41 letterwinners and 15 starters (7 offense, 7 defense, 1 specialist) for the upcoming season and will play a trio of 2013 Top 10 teams this fall. The Nittany Lions will host Rose Bowl Champion Michigan State (Nov. 29), Ohio State (Oct. 25, 8 p.m.), Northwestern (Sept. 27-Homecoming, 12 p.m.) and Maryland (Nov. 1) during its 2014 Big Ten home schedule. Penn State will host Akron (Sept. 6), UMass (Sept. 20) and Temple (Nov. 15) during its non-conference slate. The Nittany Lions open the season Aug. 30 vs. UCF in the Croke Park Classic in Dublin, Ireland.
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