Sept. 1, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State head coach James Franklin has been selected to the East Stroudsburg Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the 2016 class. Franklin was a standout quarterback for the Warriors. Franklin and the other members of the class will be honored on October 15, 2016 as part of ESU's Homecoming Weekend activities.
The Hall of Fame class will be inducted in a ceremony in the Keystone Room. The day will begin with a brunch at 9 a.m., preceded by registration at 8:30 a.m. The inductees will also be recognized during halftime of the Warriors' home football game vs. Kutztown, which kicks off at 7:05 p.m. and will be televised as the NCAA Division II game of the week by the American Sports Network.
Tickets for the brunch, induction ceremony and football game are $45 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under and can be obtained through ESU's athletics website, esuwarriors.com.
Franklin was a four-year letterman at quarterback and a two-time All-PSAC selection at East Stroudsburg. He set seven school records as a senior to earn team MVP honors and was a Harlon Hill Trophy nominee as the NCAA Division II Player of the Year.
Among the season records Franklin set were for total offense (3,128 yards), passing yards (2,586) and touchdown passes (19). He graduated having broken or tied 23 school records.
Franklin has 21 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and NFL levels. He came to Penn State in 2014 where he led the Nittany Lions to back-to-back bowl appearances. Prior to Penn State, Franklin spent three seasons at the helm at Vanderbilt and led the Commodores to three consecutive bowl appearances. Franklin is one of nine current Power 5 head coaches to lead his teams to a bowl game in each of his first five seasons as a head coach. He owns a 38-27 career record, with four consecutive winning seasons.
Franklin has secured Top 25 recruiting classes each of the last four seasons, including back-to-back Top 20 classes at Penn State. In his first five years as a head coach, Franklin mentored 24 players that have gone on to the NFL ranks.
Joining Franklin the 39th East Stroudsburg Athletic Hall of Fame Class are Frank Miriello '67 (football), Mike Seip '79 (swimming), Curtis Bunch '91 (football), Ed Urie '95 (basketball), Rachel Miller Smith '02 (field hockey), Justina Woolf Kubat '02 (soccer) and Barry Krammes '04 (track & field), along with the 2000 men's soccer team which reached the NCAA Division II semifinals. Urie will be inducted posthumously.
Penn State opens the 2016 campaign against Kent State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, September 3. Single game and season tickets for the 2016 campaign, which includes five Big Ten home games for the first time, are on sale with more than 5,500 new season tickets having been sold. There will not be any increase in the price of Penn State football season tickets or Nittany Lion Club donation levels for next season. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2016 season tickets, the Recent Graduate program (35 percent discount on season tickets) as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 9 a.m-4:30 p.m.