Bob Heisse, executive editor of the Centre Daily Times, wrote this about his newspapers' football coverage in a column last week: "All in all, we'd like to think our coverage will be the best in the Big Ten. I say that confidently, since I've regularly traveled to away games and have been to every Big Ten stadium but one (Iowa)."
Hopefully, Mr. Heisse made it out to Beaver Stadium this weekend and found a copy of the Collegian's stadium magazine. If he did, he probably realized he should worry about the CDT's coverage being the best in State College, let alone the Big Ten.
The Collegian Magazine included a comprehensive season preview, a story on the off-the-field troubles of the secondary, an in-depth explanation of the current situation with the BCS and projections from Collegian writers for this season.
Also included was a column from a former Collegian writer and editor named Ira Miller. For 25 years Miller has covered the NFL for the San Francisco Chronicle. Ten years ago, his name was engraved on a plaque that sits inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is, quite simply, one of the finest sports writers working today. And it all started 40 years ago on these pages.
Like you, the students who toil in the Collegian office for hours on end are simply trying to start a successful life, as daunting as that is.
Whether you believe it after reading these pages, some Collegian writers do go on to do great things. Open up Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, GQ, The New York Times or almost any newspaper in Pennsylvania for proof.
The students we cover are no different than we are. From Zack Mills to Tracey Brauksieck (women's cross country runner), every athlete has the same broad goal in life. They just happened to play a sport.
Penn State, of course, is a great place for sports. Fans are knowledgeable and passionate. You can't ask for more than that. Our pages need to be a reflection of that attitude. Our goal is to give Penn State athletics -- all of it -- an identity. While we're going to give you plenty of football stuff to page through, you'll also get coverage of other sports. Nobody covers Nittany Lions varsity sports as well as we do.
But we have a lot to improve on. We'd like to have more stories about intramural sports and club teams. That's where you come in. Let us know what's going on in your sports world. E-mail me at ckorman@psu.edu.
We obviously won't write about every thing you send us, but there will be times that we'll send a reporter out to see what's happening. Even if you are arranging a little volleyball tournament for a special cause in East Halls, we'd like to know. It doesn't even have to involve the actual playing of a sport. Maybe you've got the largest baseball card collection in America. That would be interesting, too.
In many ways, we're covering you. Sports pages today are as much about the people in the stands as they are about the people on the field. We want the sports section to be something you turn to every day. We want it to be filled with things you want to read. Tell us what those things are. Give me suggestions. I'm listening. Or, if you disagree with something one of our sports columnists writes, scribble out your own opinion and send it to the editor.
And by all means, find the stadium edition of the Collegian Magazine. It's stationed in boxes around the stadium, and it's part of the best football coverage in State College.
