The first intercollegiate athletic contest was Harvard vs. Yale in rowing in 1852. The first college football game was played in 1859, when Rutgers defeated Princeton, 6-4. The NCAA was officially formed on March 31, 1906.
In all the years that have followed, there’s been nothing in college athletics like what has transpired at Penn State since Nov. 5, 2011, when Jerry Sandusky was arrested on more than three dozen charges of child-sex abuse.
Two months later, almost to the day, Bill O’Brien was named Penn State’s 15th head football coach. No one has had a tougher task in sports. Maybe ever.
Tuesday marks his 500th day on the job, an appropriate time to look back at what were perhaps his biggest 53 days – memorable, historic, challenging, disappointing, frustrating, exciting. Some days, it was many of them in one. Here’s a look at that list, focusing mostly on O’Brien and Penn State football, rather than the Sandusky scandal:
1. Jan. 7, 2012 – O’Brien is officially named head coach of Penn State football and introduced to the press. O’Brien announces that defensive line coach Larry Johnson Sr. will be retained, and the next day players are told linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden will also stay.
2. Jan. 12-13, 2012 – Six more hires at assistant coach are announced: Stan Hixon, Charles London, Mac McWhorter, John Strollo, Ted Roof and John Butler.
3. Jan. 22, 2012 – Joe Paterno passes away.
4. Jan. 24, 2012 – O’Brien leads the current team to a public viewing of Paterno at Pasquerilla Spiritual Center.
5. Jan. 30, 2012 – Jim Bernhardt (special assistant to the head coach) and Craig Fitzgerald are added to O’Brien’s staff. As director of strength and conditioning, Fitzgerald overhauls the Penn State weight room and the approach to strength training.
6. Feb. 1, 2012 – Penn State’s first recruiting class under O’Brien is announced. Of the 19 players who signed, 16 remain on the roster.
7. Feb. 5, 2012 – In O’Brien’s final game as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the New England Patriots, the Pats fall 21-17 to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, held in Indianapolis.
8. Feb. 12, 2012 – Penn State’s first practice under O’Brien, a conditioning workout sans footballs, is held outdoors at 5:30 a.m. New to PSU: Players with long hair and facial hair, and the media is permitted to watch and report on the entire workout, with O’Brien holding an impromptu press conference afterwards.
9. Feb. 17, 2012 – Tim Bream, a Penn State graduate who spent 19 years with the Chicago Bears, is named Penn State’s director of athletic trainer services and head athletic trainer for football.
10. Feb. 18, 2012 – O’Brien announces the final member of his coaching staff, quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher, a native of Allenwood, 70 miles from University Park.
11. March 26, 2012 – The first official day of practice of the O’Brien, the first of 15 official practices. O’Brien begins to roll out a new, fast-paced offense that utilizes multiple tight ends. Matt McGloin, Rob Bolden and Paul Jones all vie for the staring quarterback job.
12. April 21, 2012 – In O’Brien’s first Blue-White Game, more then 60,000 fans attend the scrimmage in Beaver Stadium. The defense beats the offense, 77-65, using a complex scoring system. A slimmed-down version of O’Brien’s offense is revealed, to less-than-stellar results for his quarterbacks. McGloin is 6 of 13 for 105 yards, with a TD and an interception; Jones is 6 of 15 for 113 yards, with a TD and an interception; and Bolden is 7 of 14 for 78 yards, with three interceptions.
13. April 30, 2012 – Accompanied by a host of Penn State head coaches, O’Brien embarks on an ambitious seven-state, 18-stop, nine-day Coaches Caravan to connect with Penn State fans and alumni.
14. June 1, 2012 – At a charity golf tournament, O’Brien reveals that McGloin will be his starting quarterback in 2012. McGloin learned the news shortly after the end of spring practice.
15. June 22, 2012 – Jerry Sandusky is found guilty of 45 of 48 child-sex abuse charges.
16. July 12, 2012 – The Freeh Report is released. Commissioned by the Penn State Board of Trustees, it alleges that Paterno, Penn State president Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and former senior administrator Gary Schultz were complicit in improper conduct in relation to the Sandusky scandal.
17. July 13, 2012 – “Lift For Life,” a major charity event supported by the PSU football players, moves outdoors for the first time onto the varsity lacrosse field. Several changes are made to the event, which sets records for donations ($110,000) and attendance (2,500).
18. July 23, 2012 – Citing the Freeh Report, NCAA president Mark Emmert announces a host of unprecedented sanctions against Penn State football program. They include a $60 million fine, a bowl ban, a reduction in scholarships and the unencumbered transfer of football players through August 2013. O’Brien takes part in a host of interviews — including a trip to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn. — driving home a message that he is pleased Penn State will continue to play football and appear on television.
19. July 23-24, 2012 – O’Brien holds a pair of team meetings with his current players.
20. July 25, 2012 – Seniors Michael Mauti and Michael Zordich, backed by several teammates, announce to the media that they are committed to Penn State and are staying. A video of the pronouncement goes viral.
21. July 26, 2012 – O’Brien and Penn State players Jordan Hill, John Urschel and a defiant Mauti attend Big Ten media days in Chicago. Notably absent: running back Silas Redd, who was orginally slated to make the trip.
22. July 29, 2012 – O’Brien meets many of the incoming recruits and their parents in a long afternoon session. All but one of the attendees decides to stay at Penn State, despite being able to transfer without penalty.
23. July 31, 2012 – In a “Rise and Rally” event, more than 4,500 fans show up to cheer on Penn State’s players as they arrive for an early-morning workout.
24. July 31, 2012 – Redd, a 1,000-yard rusher who was expected to be a key part of the team’s offense, transfers to South California.
25. Aug. 2, 2012 – Kicker/punter Anthony Fera transfers to Texas.
26. Aug. 4, 2012 – The team’s top receiver, Justin Brown, transfers to Oklahoma. More than a dozen players follow suit over the next few months.
27. Aug. 6, 2012 – Penn State officially begins preseason practice.
28. Aug. 29, 2012 – The State College Quarterback Club kicks off its 2012 schedule to a weekly sellout crowd. O’Brien will be a fixture at these meetings, providing a video chalk talk.
29. Sept. 1, 2012 – In O’Brien’s first game as head coach, Penn State leads Ohio University 14-3 before falling, 24-14, in Beaver Stadium. McGloin completes 27 of 548 for 260 yards, with a pair of TD passes, and Allen Robinson catches nine passes for 97, a precursor to his 1,000-yard season. Penn State’s uniforms feature the players’ names on the back.
30. Sept. 8, 2012 – Penn State falls 17-16 at Virginia, in O’Brien’s first road game as head coach. Sophomore kicker Sam Ficken misses four field goals.
31. Sept. 15, 2012 – Penn State wins its first game under O’Brien, 34-7, against Navy in Beaver Stadium, before crowd of a 98,292.
32. Sept. 22, 2012 – Penn State improves its record to 2-2 with a 24-13 win over Temple in Beaver Stadium. McGloin throws for 318 yards, scores two touchdowns and passes for a third.
33. Sept. 29, 2012 – In his first Big Ten Conference game, O’Brien leads the Nittany Lions on the road against Illinois. Penn State wins convincingly, 35-7. The game is highlighted by a 99-yard interception return by Mauti to end the first half.
34. Oct. 6, 2012 – Penn State scores the game’s final three touchdowns to come from behind and beat Northwestern, 39-28, in Beaver Stadium. Zach Zwinak runs for 121 yards, Robinson has two touchdown catches and McGloin is 28 of 52 for 282 yards.
35. Oct. 13, 2012 – On the road at Iowa, Bill Belton runs for 103 yards and three touchdowns as Penn State wins, 38-14, for Penn State’s fifth consecutive victory.
36. Oct. 20, 2012 – In a nationally-televised showdown of first-year Big Ten coaches in Beaver Stadium, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer bests O’Brien and the Lions, 35-23. OSU quarterback Braxton Miller accounts for three TDs and 277 yards.
37. Nov. 3, 2012 – Penn State rebounds convincingly on the road against Purdue, 34-9, as McGloin throws for 321 yards and Zwinak runs for 134 more for Penn State’s sixth win in seven games.
38. Nov. 10, 2012 – Playing in a sea of red in Lincoln, Neb., Penn State leads the Cornhuskers 20-6 at halftime, but falters in the second half — in part because of a controversial call following a Lion fumble – and loses 32-23.
39. Nov. 17, 2012 – In the season’s most explosive showing of O’Brien’s offense, McGloin throws for 395 yards and four TDs, while Zwinak rushes for 135 more in a 45-22 victory over Indiana in Beaver Stadium. During the week Jones, who had moved to tight end earlier in the season, announces he is transferring.
40. Nov. 24, 2012 – Barred from playing in a postseason bowl game, Penn State throws all of its emotion into a season finale at home against Wisconsin. Mauti, injured against Indiana, does not play. But he is honored for his strong leadership throughout 2012 as his No. 42 is placed on the side of each player’s helmet. In tribute, fellow linebacker Gerald Hodges wears Mauti’s jersey. Penn State wins on a 37-yard field goal by Ficken in overtime, 24-21, as the Nittany Lions finish 8-4. Zwinak gains 179 yards rushing to finish the season with an even 1,000.
41. Dec. 8, 2012 – O’Brien wins the first of three coach of the year awards, this one from ESPN. He was also the Bear Bryant and Maxwell Club coach of the year winner. He was a finalist for the coachof-the-year awards presented by Liberty Mutual and the Football Writers Association of America.
42. Dec. 20, 2012 – Spurned by his first choice, Jake Waters, O’Brien signs juco quarterback Tyler Ferguson from California to shore up a big hole on his roster. A little more than two weeks later, Ferguson and four freshmen enroll at Penn State for the spring semester, in a move precipitated in part by the impending NCAA sanctions.
43. Jan. 7, 2013 – After discussing head coaching positions with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland, O’Brien holds a press conference to announce that he is staying at Penn State. He does say, however, that coaching in the NFL is the pinnacle of his profession.
44. Jan. 8, 2013 – O’Brien addresses several thousand coaches at the American Football Coaches Association annual convention in Nashville, Tenn.
45. Jan. 9, 2013 – Defensive coordinator Ted Roof leaves for a position with Georgia Tech. Secondary coach John Butler is named by O’Brien to replace him. Anthony Midget is later added to the staff to help coach the secondary.
46. Feb. 6, 2013 – Penn State announces its 2013 recruiting class of 15 players, including highly coveted Christian Hackenberg, the nation’s No. 1 QB, according to ESPN.
47. Feb. 27, 2013 – One-time Paterno heir apparent Fran Ganter announces his retirement, effective the next day, as associate athletic director for football administration.
48. March 1, 2013 – O’Brien and the Penn State senior class are honored by the Maxwell Football Club in Atlantic City, N.J.
49. March 18, 2013 – O’Brien begins his second spring practice as Penn State’s head coach. Spring drills end with the April 20 Blue-White Game, as O’Brien is miked up for an offensive series.
50. April 24, 2013 – After meeting with O’Brien and learning that his work with the first-team offense will be severely curtailed once summer drills start, sophomore quarterback Steven Bench announces he will transfer.
51. April 25, 2013 – Former Penn State quarterback Wally Richardson is appointed director of the Penn State Football Letterman Club, a challenging position given the many divides in the group of more than 1,000 former Penn State players. Richardson, 20-5 as a Penn State starter, played two years in the NFL.
52. April 30, 2013 – O’Brien departs University Park for his second Coaches Caravan, which makes 12 stops in six days.
53. May 14, 2013 – Sports Illustrated publishes an article questioning the replacement of longtime football team physician Dr. Wayne Sebastinelli, athletic director Dave Joyner’s role in that move and his brief history as A.D., and the practices of head football athletic trainer Time Bream. In a heated 20-minute telephone conference call with the media, O’Brien labeled the accusations “preposterous.”
