Sports Illustrated Heisman Tour visits Penn State this weekend

Photo: GoPSUsports.com John Cappelletti

University Park, Pa. — Penn State's legendary Heisman Trophy winner, John Cappelletti, and national media personality Dan Patrick will be among the participants at the Sports Illustrated Heisman Tour Presented by Nissan here this weekend. The event celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the Heisman Trophy.

The event will be held Saturday, Nov. 7 and will precede the highly-anticipated Penn State-Ohio State clash, which will begin at 3:30 p.m. in Beaver Stadium's 300th game.

The Sports Illustrated Heisman Tour will be located at East Halls, near the intersection of Curtin and Bigler Roads on the Penn State campus. The Heisman Tour experience will open at 10:00 a.m. and include interactive activities and a decade-by-decade display of all previous Heisman Trophy winners.

An autograph session with Patrick, a Sports Illustrated senior writer and national radio show host, will be held from 12:00-1:00 p.m. At 1:00, he will be joined by Cappelletti, who won the 1973 Heisman Trophy, for a question and answer session with fans. From 1:30-2:30 p.m., Cappelletti will be available for autographs.

Fans also will have an opportunity to have their photo taken with the Heisman Trophy.

Cappelletti, who will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 12, led Penn State to a 12-0 campaign in 1973. The College Football Hall of Fame inductee ran for 1,522 yards, scoring 17 touchdowns and averaging 5.3 yards per carry. The Nittany Lions defeated LSU to cap the program's first 12-0 season.

Larry Bowa, Bill Conlin, Tommy Lasorda and Merrill Reese are among the others that will join Cappelletti as inductees in the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame's sixth induction class.

Penn State (8-1, 4-1) will host No. 17/15 Ohio State (7-2, 4-1) in Beaver Stadium's 300th game on Saturday. Kickoff for the critical Big Ten clash is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised by ABC to more than 70 percent of the nation, with ESPN2 airing the game to the rest of the nation outside of the ABC coverage area.

On Friday, the Nittany Lion basketball team will host an exhibition game at 6:00 p.m vs. Slippery Rock in the Bryce Jordan Center. At approximately 8:00 p.m., the Rally in the Valley will be held in the Jordan Center, featuring Coach Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lion football team.