The cameras were ready. The photographers were waiting. Matt Campbell, however, was nowhere to be found. As Penn State prepared to make its Beaver Stadium entrance before a 45-0 rout of Marshall, the new head coach deliberately buried himself among his players.
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“As dozens of other photographers and I awaited that iconic shot of the new coach leading his team onto the field of Beaver Stadium for the first time, Campbell would instead hide amongst his players, three rows back from the front and on the opposite side of where the media was,” said Joe Hermitt of PennLive.
The veteran photographer emphasized that in his 27 years covering Penn State and college football, he had never seen a Penn State coach deliberately keep himself out of the spotlight. Interestingly, Campbell’s absence was noticeable during the pregame starting lineup announcement as well.
Hermitt wasn’t the only one who noticed. During the postgame press conference, Campbell was asked about it, and his response perfectly showcased his humility.
“I’m good on that. The scoreboard is for the players. What I would tell you is just for me, I did take it in,” said the head coach.
Hermitt further emphasized that the scoreboard was not the only thing that stood out that day. The head coach also appeared “noticeably uncomfortable with the cameras flocking around him.”
After the game, he quietly made his way back to the locker room, “ bypassing the Victory Bell and the huge crowd gathered underneath the stands.”
Penn State fans may find it refreshing to see their head coach avoid the spotlight, but anyone familiar with Matt Campbell’s ten-year tenure at Iowa State would hardly be surprised.
Whenever the media praised him for a historic turnaround or a victory over a top-tier program, Campbell would quickly shift the credit to his players’ execution or his assistant coaches.
Unlike peers who lean heavily on personal branding through social media and television, Campbell uses these platforms strictly as program tools, preferring to evaluate recruits through old-school, personal relationships.
Watching Matt Campbell lead the Nittany Lions, some longtime fans may have caught a glimpse of Penn State’s legendary former head coach, Joe Paterno.
Before massive stadium video boards and carefully crafted entrances became the norm, Paterno famously wore a simple, unbranded blue windbreaker and thick glasses, running out with the team almost completely unannounced.
The emphasis was always on Penn State, not Paterno. From the classic blue-and-white uniforms to his understated presence, ‘Grandpa Joe’ kept the spotlight firmly on his players. In his own way, Campbell appears to be intentionally bringing that old-school philosophy back.
Interestingly, Campbell also revived Paterno’s iconic “Success With Honor” sign above the stadium tunnel, replacing James Franklin’s “1-0” mantra.
When asked what it felt like to walk into the stadium for the first time and hug his family, Campbell turned the entire question back to his team and assistant coaches.
“I was so anxious about watching who this football team could be, and how we could respond, and obviously we know just a little bit, but we got great videotape evidence now in a chaotic game environment. How is this team going to respond? How is this coaching staff going to respond? Hats off to our coaches; unbelievable job. I think for me, there was more anticipation,” said the head coach.
Matt Campbell certainly broke tradition to keep the spotlight on his players. That said, what do you think about his sacrifice?