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Possibly more than football at Beaver Stadium

By Ben Brigandi

For the Mirror

UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State is open to expanded use of Beaver Stadium beyond football, though no specific conversations about concerts or other sporting events such as the NHL’s Winter Classic have taken place, said Phil Esten, Penn State’s deputy athletic director and chief operating officer for intercollegiate athletics.

Esten met with editors and reporters at Monday’s Associated Press Sports Editors Mid-Atlantic annual regional meeting held on campus. He was hired last fall by Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour after the two worked together at California.

“We’re willing to talk about Beaver Stadium as an asset,” said Esten. “There are challenges with Beaver Stadium. It was built to play football in the fall, not hockey in the winter. Other newer stadiums have advantages over us, from concessions, to utilities, to seating. That doesn’t mean we won’t look into things, nothing specific now, but in a couple years you’ll probably see it used for more than just football.

“And not just for athletics,” said Esten.

Beaver Stadium’s capacity of 106,572 is the nation’s second-largest behind Michigan’s, at 109.902. An NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers has been speculated for years, and Flyers fan site Broad Street Hockey went so far in March to say that the Flyers told some season ticket holders that it was pitching a 50th anniversary game for 2017 of the two 1967 expansion teams.

In other topics, Esten said he could honestly say there was no culture problem at Penn State where football became too big and overwhelmed values, as NCAA president Mark Emmert did in 2012 when handing down Jerry Sandusky-related sanctions.

“We may have a perception problem, but that’s one of our opportunities,” said Esten. “This community has embraced it so much, but not so much that it ever gets to that point. As a result of what’s happened, we pay strong attention to integrity in athletics and have an Athletic Integrity Officer (Julie Del Giorno). At the end of the day, where we’re organized, we don’t see the possibility of that happening again.”

He also referred to Joe Paterno’s legend, saying, “There’s a lot to be proud of, find a way to embrace and celebrate what’s happened in the past. I’d say over the last 5 months that, coming in as a competitor of Penn State looking at it with a different lens, that success with honor and 409 mean different things locally than nationally. That’s important for us to think about as we move into a new strategy.”

Esten, who also led Minnesota’s alumni association and worked in Minnesota’s and Ohio State’s athletic departments, also broke down the athletic department’s restructuring under Barbour that was announced in March. He said it cut the number of direct reports to the athletic director from about 17 to four. And while that broad access to the boss was good, Esten said, they hope the new model provides for quicker decision making as Barbour’s position and schedule require more outside duties.

Esten’s position oversees mostly external affairs, such as facilties, planning, event management, development, marketing, strategic communication, strategic planning and revenue generation.

The other three senior associate athletic directors who report directly to Barbour:

n Lynn Holloran, also hired from Minnesota, for sports administration, who oversees human resources and compliance.

n Charmelle Green, for student-athlete performance, sport performance, student-athlete services, life skills, gender equity, and diversity, said Estep.

n Rick Kaluza, for finance and business operations overseeing equipment, sports camps, business opportunities and purchasing.

Esten said the whole operation is run like the $120 million business that it is for 800 athletes.

“Describe athletics? It’s like farming, not a job. It’s a way of life,” said Esten. “Sort of the same way you’re on a 365-day, 24/7 political campaign. So, we reorganized the human side of what we do.”

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