James Franklin reacts to Penn State lettermen making NFL history

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”

Love seeing @PennStateFball Lettermen 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 https://t.co/EvQyNGigfZ

— James Franklin (@coachjfranklin) January 24, 2024

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.

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