Penn State football coach Bill O'Brien vows to keep tradition alive in Happy Valley

The first-year coach spoke to alumni tonight at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center.

Greeted by resounding cheers of "We are Penn State" from an energetic crowd in Bethlehem, new Penn State football coach Bill O'Brien promised alumni that despite the regime change, the school's traditions would not die.

"One of the things that's very, very apparent to me as I move forward is that I have a tremendous amount of respect for the past and what went on here in the past 46 years with Joe Paterno as the head football coach," O'Brien said.

O'Brien joined Penn State women's basketball coach Coquese Washington and men's golf coach Greg Nye tonight at the newly opened Sands Bethlehem Event Center as part of the Penn State Coaches Caravan, an 18-stop bus tour across the Mid-Atlantic allowing alumni the chance to meet the new coach.

O'Brien, 42, came to Penn State in January from the New England Patriots where he had most recently served as offensive coordinator. He replaces the late Joe Paterno, who served 46 years as the Nittany Lions head coach before being fired on Nov. 9 in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.

Paterno died Jan. 22, weeks after O'Brien was officially introduced as the school's new head coach.

Without going into great detail, the first-year coach acknowledged last fall's scandal and assured alumni that better days are on the way.

"We're very, very well aware in the football program of what happened in November and we will always pay attention to children and we will always care about children..." O'Brien said. "But it's time to move forward because what I see are sunny days."

Speaking on his decision to accept the position at Penn State despite recent events, O'Brien said he had no hesitation.

"Why wouldn't you want this job?" O'Brien asked. "This is the best job in college football."

A Massachusetts native, O'Brien told alumni he's starting to understand what "Happy Valley" is all about.

"It's happy now because we haven't played a game," O'Brien joked.

Penn State alumna and Bethlehem resident Nancy Alpago said she fully supports the program O'Brien is trying to build in State College.

"He seems like he really wants to preserve all the important traditions of Penn State and yet he's putting his own spin on it," Alpago said. "So far we really like what he's doing."

Allentown resident and alumnus Bruce Andersen agreed with Alpago, adding he's also excited to see what O'Brien can do with a clipboard in his hands.

"His coaching pedigree goes without saying. He's got a great background," Andersen said. "So we're excited to move forward without leaving tradition behind."