Ex-Penn State Player Named Acting Athletic Director

November 17, 2011 /
The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Pa.), Derek Levarse

http://www.timesleader.com/sports/Joyner_is__selected_as_acting_AD_11-17-2011.html

Starting the process that will lead to choosing a permanent head football coach, Penn State announced Wednesday that David Joyner will be the university’s new acting athletic director.

Joyner, a member of Penn State’s board of trustees since 2000, takes over for Mark Sherburne, who held the position since Tim Curley stepped down on Nov. 6.

“Dave Joyner has served the board with integrity, and he is internationally known for his work with the U.S. Olympic Committee,” Penn State president Rod Erickson said. “I am confident that he will bring that same integrity to his new role.”

Sherburne will return to his previous role as associate athletic director.

“I would like to thank Mark for filling this leadership role when asked last week,” Erickson said. “I am grateful for his willingness to do what was needed to move us forward. Now, as he returns to his regular duties, we look for his continued leadership in that role.”

Joyner will suspend his membership on the board of trustees while serving as acting athletic director. Though the switch may not be permanent for him, Joyner would be a key figure in any search for a football coach for the 2012 season and beyond.

Erickson said there is no set timetable for hiring a full-time coach. Interim coach Tom Bradley said he has not been told anything about his future with the program or that of the coaching staff.

Joyner, like Curley and Sherburne, is a former Penn State football player and was a captain on the 1971 squad. He was an All-American in both football and wrestling, finishing as a national runner-up in the heavyweight division.

A health care and business consultant as well as an orthopedic physician, Joyner served as head physician for the United States during the 1992 Olympic Winter Games, among other international events.

Curley remains on paid administrative leave while facing charges of perjury and failure to report in connection to the sexual abuse investigation of former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Erickson said Friday that Curley’s continued employment with the university would be a topic of discussion for the board in the coming weeks.

Dealing with distraction

In the past week, it seems as though most of State College has been to Joe Paterno’s house a few blocks off of campus. Tom Bradley has not been one of the visitors.

Though Penn State’s interim coach has called his predecessor and mentor a few times in the past week, he said he’s putting off the home visit because he knows what the reaction will be. Same as on the phone calls.

“I knew what he was gonna say,” Bradley said. “I knew the minute I asked the question. I could have put the phone down. I knew what the answer was: ‘Why are you coming over here, wasting your time?’

“And if I call him today, he’s going to ask why am I calling him. ‘What are you calling me for? You’ve got things to do.’

“He’s been through this. He understands all the things that have to be done.”

Bradley said he has been trying to pass that message along to players, saying he wanted to minimize distractions headed into Saturday’s game at Ohio State.

That has been anything but simple following Paterno’s dismissal last week and the ongoing Sandusky investigation, which continues to be national news.

“I’m sure it’s a distraction,” Bradley said. “The one thing I’ve tried to do is communicate. I’m getting around to everybody I possibly can. I’m spending time with them. I’m trying to talk to our captains. I’m just trying to communicate with them.

“And there’s questions they have. If anybody has a question, hey, they know where my office is. They know my cell phone number. They know how to get a hold of me.”


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