The Penn State Nittany Lions will return to their roots in 2015 after the school announced on Thursday that the team would be removing their names from the back of the jerseys.
During former head coach Bill O’Brien’s inaugural season, he made the somewhat controversial decision to add the players’ names to the backs of the jerseys, saying that their loyalty and dedication to Penn State deserved recognition.
Current head coach James Franklin followed O’Brien’s example for one year, praising the now legendary 2012 Penn State team that made the commitment to stay following the unprecedented sanctions handed down by the NCAA; however, he maintained that it was time to “bring back the tradition that represented Penn State for 125 years.”
“For 125 years Penn State proudly followed a very simple idea: “Black Shoes. Basic Blues. No Names. All Game,” Franklin said.
Franklin reiterated that the 2012 team will have an “enduring place in our program’s history” because they were “loyal, sacrificed and chose to play for this institution during the most difficult of times.”
“Their commitment will never be forgotten,” Franklin added. “However, it’s time. We are a strong family, playing for one goal, one university and there is only one name that truly matters: Penn State.”
Offensive lineman Angelo Mangiro took to Twitter to show his support of Franklin’s decision, writing:
“When Coach O’Brien came and put names on the uniforms to honor the players that stayed, I was extremely moved. I understood the history that surrounded our program and the basic whites and blues. I was thankful for Coach O’Brien to make that tough decision, and I felt that it was very appropriate at that time. But, that was then and this is now. We honored those who have stayed. … It is time for us to get back to our traditions and put everything behind us.”
Franklin said that the decision to go back to the nameless jerseys was one that he had been considering since he took the helm in 2014.
“I just thought Year 1 wasn’t the right time to make this decision. There had been so much change and so much turnover in a short period of time. Fifth head coach in 27 months, a lot of issues, a lot of things that we had to overcome, and it was just one more thing I didn’t feel ready or prepared to deal with at that time.”
He later added that he believed the decision was “another step in the healing process.”
Photo Credit: SI.com
