Overview
The bold first season in the post-Paterno era
No college football program has ever had to deal with the obstacles, hostility, and challenges encountered by the players and coaches of the 2012 Penn State Nittany Lions, and this book is an account of that unforgettable season in which the team rebounded from a disillusioning 0-2 start to surprise everyone and finish with an 8-4 record, third best in the Big Ten Conference. The turmoil at Penn State began in early November 2011 with the shocking arrest of retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky for multiple charges of sexual child abuse, and within days legendary head coach Joe Paterno was fired in what would be termed the biggest scandal in college football history. By the end of January, Paterno was dead from lung cancer and a new head coach without any Penn State connections, Bill O’Brien, began putting together his staff while finishing up his job as offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl bound New England Patriots. We Are Penn State tells the story of how this team overcame unprecedented NCAA sanctions, including a four-year bowl ban and the loss of 45 scholarships over the same period, the transfer of several of its star players, and overwhelming predictions that the 2012 season would be a disaster to put together a successful season and restore some dignity to what was once considered one of the elite programs in college football.
Author Biography
Lou Prato is a veteran print and broadcast journalist who covers Nittany Lions sports for various magazines, including two publications dedicated to Penn State football fans, Blue White Illustrated and Fight On State magazine. He is the author or coauthor of several other books about Penn State football, including Game Changers: Penn State, The Penn State Football Encyclopedia, The Penn State Football Vault, and What It Means to Be a Nittany Lion. He was hired by Penn State to help organize and start the Penn State All-Sports Museum and became the museum's first director. He lives in Centennial Hills, Pennsylvania. Bill O’Brien is the head football coach at Penn State University. He led the 2012 Nittany Lions to an 8-4 record and was named ESPN’s National Coach of the Year. He was formerly a New England Patriots assistant under Bill Belichick for five seasons. He lives in State College, Pennsylvania.
Press Releases
We Are Penn State: The Remarkable Journey of the 2012 Nittany Lions
By Lou Prato
Foreword by Bill O'Brien
Contact: Quentin Ayukesong, Triumph Books, 312.676.4256, q.ayukesong@triumphbooks.com
The odds were overwhelming. Wracked by the biggest scandal in college football history, penalized with unprecedented NCAA sanctions, missing several of its star players due to transfers and beginning the season with a new coach, the Penn State football program was expected to buckle. Instead, the team rose to the challenge thanks to outstanding senior leadership, and the coaching of Bill O'Brien, who won the loyalty of his team and respect of his peers as Coach of the Year.
A reflective chronicle of the memorable 2012 season, We Are Penn State: The Remarkable Journey of the 2012 Nittany Lions (Triumph Books, September 2013) by Lou Prato with a foreword by Bill O'Brien begins with the indictment of Jerry Sandusky and firing of beloved head coach Joe Paterno amidst media assaults on the university's team and administration-setting the stage for a season rife with emotion.
Despite the overwhelming adversity, the Lions went on to establish one of the most memorable seasons in the history of Penn State football. We Are Penn State details each significant moment, including uncertainty surrounding the hiring process for a new head coach, a mixture of compassionate and tense moments with rival teams and changes in the program necessitated or prompted by the sanctions and new management.
An inspiring story of perseverance in the face of almost certain destruction, We Are Penn State recounts how the Lions' "One Team" chants became a rallying cry for the team and a symbol for the Penn State community. We Are Penn State will help football lovers and Penn State fans commemorate 2012 and look forward to the upcoming 2013 season.
About the Authors:
Lou Prato is a veteran print and broadcast journalist who covers Nittany Lions sports for various magazines, including two publications dedicated to Penn State football fans, Blue White Illustrated and Fight On State magazine. He is the author or coauthor of several other books about Penn State football, including Game Changers: Penn State, The Penn State Football Encyclopedia, The Penn State Football Vault, and What It Means to Be a Nittany Lion.
Bill O'Brien is the head football coach at Penn State University. He led the 2012 Nittany Lions to an 8-4 record and was named the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year. He was formerly a New England Patriots assistant under Bill Belichick for five seasons. He currently lives in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania.
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We Are Penn State: The Remarkable Journey of the 2012 Nittany Lions
By Lou Prato
Foreword by Bill O'Brien
Contact: Quentin Ayukesong ∙ Triumph Books ∙ 312.676.4256 ∙ b.ames@triumphbooks.com
The odds were overwhelming. Wracked by the biggest scandal in college football history, penalized with unprecedented NCAA sanctions, missing several of its star players due to transfers and beginning the season with a new coach, the Penn State football program was expected to buckle. Instead, the team rose to the challenge thanks to outstanding senior leadership, and the coaching of Bill O'Brien, who won the loyalty of his team and respect of his peers as Coach of the Year.
A reflective chronicle of the memorable 2012 season, We Are Penn State: The Remarkable Journey of the 2012 Nittany Lions (Triumph Books, September 2013) by Lou Prato with a foreword by Bill O'Brien begins with the indictment of Jerry Sandusky and firing of beloved head coach Joe Paterno amidst media assaults on the university's team and administration-setting the stage for a season rife with emotion.
Despite the overwhelming adversity, the Lions went on to establish one of the most memorable seasons in the history of Penn State football. We Are Penn State details each significant moment, including uncertainty surrounding the hiring process for a new head coach, a mixture of compassionate and tense moments with rival teams and changes in the program necessitated or prompted by the sanctions and new management.
An inspiring story of perseverance in the face of almost certain destruction, We Are Penn State recounts how the Lions' "One Team" chant became a rallying cry for the team and a symbol for the Penn State community. We Are Penn State will help football lovers and Penn State fans commemorate 2012 and look forward to the upcoming 2013 season.
About the Authors:
Lou Prato is a veteran print and broadcast journalist who covers Nittany Lions sports for various magazines, including two publications dedicated to Penn State football fans, Blue White Illustrated and Fight On State magazine. He is the author or coauthor of several other books about Penn State football, including Game Changers: Penn State, The Penn State Football Encyclopedia, The Penn State Football Vault, and What It Means to Be a Nittany Lion.
Bill O'Brien is the head football coach at Penn State University. He led the 2012 Nittany Lions to an 8-4 record and was named the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year. He was formerly a New England Patriots assistant under Bill Belichick for five seasons. He currently lives in State College, Pennsylvania.
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