Beaver County Times Allegheny Times – Sports – 01/30/2005 – DeChellis hopes to build a winner:
“STATE COLLEGE – In many ways, this is the ideal setting to be a collegiate coach.
“Penn State sits in the dead center of the state in a serene place called ‘Happy Valley,’ which is in the shadow of Mount Nittany. While the Penn State campus is big enough to be considered a small city, State College is the quintessential college town, tucked away three hours from the big cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
“And Penn State is far enough away from the cities to be the only game in town in these parts. Take a drive across Interstate 80 in the middle part of the state when Penn State’s football or basketball teams are playing and you are likely to come across a broadcast of the game on 75 percent of the radio stations.
“It is why Joe Paterno has spent a lifetime coaching football at Penn State. And it is what lured Ed DeChellis back to his alma mater in attempt to build a winning program in the ultra-tough Big Ten Conference at a school that has had limited success on the hardwood.
“Talk to enough people around State College and many will break out the old clich? that DeChellis bleeds blue and white if you cut him. It’s a line that has been used a million times, but it actually fits in DeChellis’ case.
“DeChellis is Penn State man, through and through. …”