Penn State Football: A Heartfelt Request in Memory of My Husband

On January 8, 2014 my husband Terry Todd passed away at the age of 78. 

Terry had attended 282 Penn State football games in a row between 1990 and the end of 2012, and 426 football games overall since 1970.  You can read his full obituary here. 

Football was Terry's passion and in 2013 cancer stripped Terry of that passion as well as his life.  

For that reason I have asked that memorial contributions in Terry's name be made to the Penn State chapter of Uplifting Athletes. It's an annual PSU football team effort to raise money for kidney cancer research, and it seems very fitting to support this charity.

Any donations in Terry's memory are most appreciated, or you can choose a favorite athlete and support their efforts in the upcoming 2014 Lift for Life.  

You can visit the Uplifting Athletes website here:
www.upliftingathletes.org

As for me, I will do my best to carry Terry's passion for Penn State football forward as we welcome Coach James Franklin and look forward to yet another new beginning for Penn State football this fall.   

Thank you for your patience this year, I promise you that this blog will see new life in the months ahead.

We Are...Penn State!

Carolyn Todd

 

Penn State Football: It's About That Culture Thing

Why did Louis Freeh determine that Penn State had a so-called "football culture"? 

In his report, Freeh states the following key finding:

"In the Fall of 2000, a University janitor observed Sandusky sexually assault a young boy in the East Area Locker Building and advised co-workers of what he saw.  Also that evening, another janitor saw two pairs of feet in the same shower, and then saw Sandusky and a young boy leaving the locker room holding hands.  Fearing that they would be fired for what they saw, neither janitor reported the incidents to university officials, law enforcement, or child protective agencies."

Later in his report, Freeh describes an interview with one of the janitors involved:  "Janitor B explained to the Special Investigative Counsel that reporting the incident 'would have been like going against the President of the United States in my eyes.' 'I know Paterno has so much power, if he wanted to get rid of someone, I would have been gone.'  He explained, 'football runs this University,' and said the University would have closed ranks to protect the football program at all costs."

And so according to Freeh, even though a more senior janitor discussed with these two janitors how to report what they saw, the two janitors involved decided that because they were fearful of losing their jobs, they would not report a tremendously awful crime.  Or at least that's what they told Freeh twelve years after it happened.

Penn State Football: Lift for Life $94,310 Plus Raised by Players

Yesterday, the Penn State football team competed in the 9^th annual Lift for Life ™ sponsored by the Penn State chapter of Uplifting Athletes.

Players sign autographs for waiting fans

Congratulations to all the Penn State football players who participated in yesterday’s Lift for Life.  Their website this morning states that they have raised $94,310.09.  Since that number reflects online donations only, event organizers expect that other proceeds at the event itself will likely surpass last year’s total of $98,461.35.

Penn State Football: #75 is my Favorite Jersey…And Leadership is The Reason

Football is in the air.  We can start counting the days. For me, counting the days is always a mixed blessing.  Football season is always a highlight of our year, but summer is something I always hate to see dwindle.   And it does seem to be dwindling fast! 

One summer football event that has me excited for fall is Penn State’s Lift for Life, which will be held next week at Holuba Hall on Friday July 8 from 2-7 p.m.