For Penn State Football, 'One of Our Best Days of the Year'

The Nittany Lions visit Penn State Health Children's Hospital, an event players called "immensely important" to the program.

Penn State football players, along with head coach James Franklin (right), make the Four Diamonds sign during a visit to Penn State Health Children's Hospital in Hershey. Four Diamonds is an initiative that supports children and their families in the fight against childhood cancer. / Mark Wogenrich/AllPennState

HERSHEY | The Penn State football team returned to Hershey on Wednesday for what coach James Franklin called "one of our best days of the year." The Nittany Lions spent several hours at Penn State Health Children's Hospital playing games with kids, visiting with patients and their families and reconnecting with their spirit of service.

As college football confronts more change, Franklin said he hopes this annual event will continue to ground his players.

"Obviously college football and college athletics are going through some dramatic changes right now," Franklin said after the visit. "At a place like Penn State, we truly appreciate and respect the total experience for the student-athlete for the community. And although there’s things that we need to do moving forward to make sure that we are adjusting to a modern college football program, there’s also aspects like this that have been part of college football and college athletics for a long time that we think are still critical. We’re a huge part of this community. We’re all in this thing together in the state of Pennsylvania. We want to come down here and support the hospital and different causes like this around the state."

Penn State coach James Franklin on the importance of his team’s visit to Penn State Health Children’s Hospital.

“It’s really important that we don’t forget the impact and the importance of the full collegiate experience.” pic.twitter.com/hkjxosGQsH

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) May 30, 2024

The Nittany Lions have been visiting Penn State Children's Hospital for several years, though last year's trip was the first since 2019. The team and staff spent time with patients and their families in addition to children from the Four Diamonds and Children's Miracle Network programs. Some players visited patients in their rooms, while others played games and drew pictures with kids in the hospital's cafe.

Franklin said that the Penn State's Leadership Council, composed of players from across the roster, insisted that the program was important to the team.

"It's immensely important," defensive lineman Dvon Ellies said. "It offers a lot of perspective for the players. ... It's really special, and I appreciate Penn State for doing this."

For Penn State's football freshmen, the hospital visit represented the first team-building activity of their careers. Franklin said the event "sets the tone for their whole Penn State experience."

"Penn State football is more than just what we do at Beaver Stadium for seven Saturdays a year as well as what we do throughout the entire season," Franklin said. "It’s about giving back to the community, it’s about making a difference in people’s lives, it’s about being a role model and a mentor. But it’s also about playing big-time football, and there needs to be a balance on this, which I think is probably more challenging than it’s ever been. But I think it’s really important for us to make sure that we don’t lose this aspect."

Penn State center Nick Dawkins said it's important for players to use their platforms positively in settings such as these.

"Not just the football team — people, communities, groups," Dawkins said. "You need to give back. People lose sight that this whole football thing is bigger than you. Put a smile on someone’s face? That's huge. ... That goes to the humility and being humble and all the things that we are in our program and our tradition."

Franklin added that such team initiatives contribute to the "full collegiate experience."

"Getting a world-class education, obviously playing big-time football but also growing as young men and building on the foundation that their parents and high school coaches have laid and making sure that we keep the main thing the main thing and not lose perspective," Franklin said, "Winning games is critical, graduating is critical, competing at the highest level — we understand how important those things are. But you can do those things and, along your journey, still impact others in a positive way and really open your heart up and open yourself up to get to know each other and to get to know people, specifically in the state of Pennsylvania."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.