Tonight, several Penn State football players and coaches will take the field. But they won't be taking snaps, breaking through the defensive line, or setting up plays against a Big Ten opponent.

Instead, they will be on the sidelines, calling plays for the nearly 60 local businessmen and community members who will be competing in the 2nd annual Subway Easter Bowl, a flag football game benefit for Easter Seals, to be held at 7 on Rogers Field at Bellefonte High School.

Prior to the game, the Penn State players will be involved in both an autograph session at Bellefonte Elementary School at 4 p.m. and a parade beginning at 5:30 p.m. that will lead to the stadium for the kickoff. Joining the current players in these events will be past and present members of the Penn State coaching staff as well as several former Penn State players.

Jerry Sandusky and Adam Taliaferro will serve as honorary coaches for the game, while Larry Johnson will be the chairman of the game and will also flip the coin for the pregame toss. Current quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno as well as current players Tony Johnson, Zack Mills, Shawn Mayer and Robbie Gould will be in attendance, along with former players Wally Richardson, Andre Collins and D.J. Dozier, among others.

Tony Roefaro, Spring Township police officer and head coach for one of the teams, started the Subway Easter Bowl two years ago, modeling it after a similar event, the Turkey Bowl, held around Thanksgiving in Altoona. He recognized the need for local celebrities to be associated with the event, and started to recruit past and present football players and coaches.

"To get excitement so that fans will come to the game, I got the Penn State connection," Roefaro said. "I called Jay Paterno and got it started."

The players and coaches will not only attract spectators to the event, they will also use their football experience to help call the plays and coach their teams.

"It's a flag football game, it's fun, but there are still real plays to coordinate," Roefaro said.

And just because the game is only for fun does not mean that the Penn State football team members are not planning to be competitive.

"I'm going to give it my best effort out there, and we are going to come out with the win," former Penn State player Taliaferro said.

While held in good fun, the event is a major contributor of funding to Easter Seals Central Pennsylvania. Last year the Easter Bowl raised $15,000, and the goal for this year's event is $20,000. Much of this money comes from sponsor support and from the $300 each flag-football player has to raise to play in the game, but donations from the autograph session with the Penn State players also bring in part of the funding.

Members of the Penn State football team and coaching staff found it easy to give their time and name to the Easter Bowl because of this charitable aspect.

"I had grown up in a rec center that Easter Seals was involved in," said Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator. "So I saw the work they did there and decided this was a good thing."

Taliaferro participated in the Easter Bowl last year and did not hesitate to get involved with the 2nd annual event.

"I did it last year, and it was fun so I did it again this year," Taliaferro said. "It's a good cause, and anything that helps people out is worth the time to do."