Penn State revives tradition: Names coming off jerseys

Penn State football coach James Franklin gathered former and current players Thursday morning for a special announcement: The players' names that had been stitched onto the backs of the Nittany Lions' blue-and-white jerseys since 2012 were coming off.

Jerseys with no names revive one of Penn State's oldest traditions.

"I've thought about this since day one but I just thought year one wasn't the right time to make the decision," the second-year coach said Thursday night. "There was a lot of issues, a lot of things we had to overcome."

For Brad "Spider" Caldwell, the beloved former equipment manager who for 31 years had stood on the sidelines beside Joe Paterno and Bill O'Brien, the decision brought back memories of the program's triumphs and its struggles, the greatest of which has been the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal and harsh NCAA sanctions.

"It makes the names on the jerseys more special for the guys that stayed," Caldwell said, noting that he and several former Penn State lettermen became emotional at the meeting. "In the future, when you watch ESPN Classic and see those names on the jerseys, it's going to remind you of a tough, tough time, and of the group that stayed and got through that."

"We didn't want to start a new tradition - that kind of got thrust upon us," said former Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti, a leader of the 2012 senior class.

Caldwell recalled O'Brien asking him in the summer of 2012 if the jerseys could be changed, ending a 125-year tradition.

"My first reaction was, 'Oh no, the [Football Letterman's Club is] going to go crazy,' " Caldwell recalled. But Caldwell said he knew the change - an idea that had come from players' parents - was needed.

O'Brien had just gotten off a conference call with parents, begging their children to stay with the program despite the sanctions. The punishment included a four-year postseason bowl ban, a loss of scholarships, a $60 million fine, and the vacating of more than 100 wins under Paterno. The players had an easy out: The NCAA would allow them to transfer and be eligible to play immediately.

Caldwell took the jerseys home and his wife, Karen, carefully stitched on the name of each player. The team ended the 2012 season with a 7-5 record. It hasn't had a losing season since, and the NCAA sanctions, except for the $60 million fine, have been rescinded.

"The program's still rocking and rolling," Mauti said. "The NCAA, with those sanctions, didn't do what they thought they were doing."

At the meeting Thursday morning, former lettermen, including Todd Kulka, Jack Ham, and Keith Conlin, told the team emotional stories about what it meant to play for Penn State wearing the plain jerseys and black shoes, once seen as symbols of Paterno's no-nonsense coaching style. Caldwell spoke last.

"I said, 'Guys, this is what it's all about,' " he said. "I pointed to the former players and said, 'This is what you're going to become. You're wearing the same jerseys as others who came before you who made this place great.' "

He told them a story of walking off the field with Paterno after a game. A reporter grabbed the coach and asked him why Penn State didn't have special jerseys - there were no combat or retro uniforms.

Caldwell recalled, "Paterno hesitated and said, 'But you noticed, didn't you? Why do we need to do anything special? You know who we are.' "

Paterno often preached to his players the importance of playing for the team, not for themselves, Mauti said. The nameless jerseys were an important part of that.

"It seems just like a symbol," Mauti said, "but it really has an impact on the team."