Connect with us

FOOTBALL

James Franklin reacts to Penn State lettermen making NFL history

James Franklin has expressed how proud he is of this Penn State football lettermen for making NFL history.

Published

9 months ago

on

Penn State Football, Troy Huhn, 2026 recruiting
Dec 30, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin on the field before the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not every day that a former Penn State football player makes NFL history. But on Tuesday that statement came true for former Nittany Lion Terry Killens as the Super Bowl LVIII officiating crew was announced. On Wednesday James Franklin congratulated Killens and explained the importance of this accomplishment.

James Franklin reacts to Penn State lettermen making NFL history

Terry Killens played linebacker for the Penn State football team in the late 1990s. Killens was a third-round pick in the 1996 NFL Draft to the Tennesse Titans and played seven seasons in the NFL. He appeared in the 1999 Super Bowl as a player during his career.

Now, he will become the first person to ever play in a Super Bowl and officiate a Super Bowl in NFL history. James Franklin was proud of this accomplishment.

Franklin tweeted, “Love seeing @PennStateFballLettermen Terry Killens living his dream as an official in Super Bowl LVIII. Proud to have TK be the first person to both play in and officiate a Super Bowl. #WeAre”

Terry Killens’ full journey

Of course, former Nittany Lion Terry Killens won’t be officiating the Super Bowl alone on February 11th. He will be part of Referee Bill Vinovich’s crew. He started his football officiating in 2013 while representing the American Athletic Conference. Then, he also officiated for the Alliance of American Football in 2019. During the 2019 season, he joined the NFL officiating and hasn’t looked back ever since.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation, the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlet. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can proudly claim a readership of over 3.5 million in our first year of operation.

Related Topics:

Former Editor-In-Chief at Victory Bell Rings, Morgan is the current Site Manager for Basic Blues Nation, host of the Basic Blues Podcast, and co-host of the weekly Penn State Roar Room spaces. Morgan lives in upstate New York with his wife and cats.

Trending