Penn State officials presented their $50 million deal for naming rights to Beaver Stadium’s field as a “transformational” moment for Penn State football and Nittany Lions athletics. The gift from West Shore Home, the Pennsylvania-based home remodeling company, is the second-largest in university history, represents one of the biggest field-naming partnerships in college football and will help Penn State reach, and likely surpass, its goal of raising $134 million for the Beaver Stadium renovation.
So why did one member of Penn State’s Board of Trustees call Monday “a very sad and sobering day in the history of Penn State”? Because as some trustees said during the board’s meeting to approve the deal, they represented fans who want Penn State to name the field at Beaver Stadium for late football coach Joe Paterno and his wife Sue. Instead, beginning with the 2025 Penn State football season, the venue’s official name will be West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium.
As a result, the trustees’ meeting became a “referendum” regarding Paterno, as one trustee said. Penn State trustee and former Nittany Lions quarterback Matt McGloin voted no, telling the board that “you’re trying to erase 46 years as a head coach.”
Penn State trustee Brandon Short, an All-American linebacker who played for Paterno, said that he appreciated West Shore Home’s gift but reluctantly voted against the proposal.
“I’m a proud product of the Grand Experiment, and I love Joe Paterno. And no matter where you stand on this issue, you can’t deny that there are a large number of alumni who believe that Joe was mistreated and naming the field [for Paterno] was a way to make things right,” Short told trustees. “I believe that Penn State has a bright future, and the future is much more important than the past. But I don’t believe we can reach our full potential by simply telling our alumni to move forward.”
Penn State trustee Anthony Lubrano, who made the comment about this being a “sad and sobering day, added that Penn State was “about to sell our souls and, in doing so, turn our backs on two people who gave so much to this institution: Joe and Sue Paterno.”
“It’s just frustrating that this is becoming a referendum on how we feel about Joe Paterno, because I think that’s wrong,” trustee Naren Gursahaney said.
‘Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium’
In presenting the plan to Penn State trustees, Athletic Director Pat Kraft said that West Shore Home made a “game-changing gift” that will help the athletic department pay for the $700 million Beaver Stadium renovation. B.J. Werzyn, founder and CEO of West Shore Home, is a 1999 Penn State graduate, donor to the university and major supporter of the athletic department’s NIL initiatives. The $50 million gift put Penn State over $130 million in contributions for the Beaver Stadium renovation, nearly 98 percent of the fundraising goal the university established in 2024.
But for more than a decade, some Penn State fans and alumni have asked the university to honor Paterno, the head football coach for 46 years, by naming the Beaver Stadium field for him and his family. In February 2024, Lubrano introduced, and quickly withdrew, a resolution to the board for that purpose. In January 2025, a group of Penn State alumni and football lettermen submitted a 76-page “nomination for honorific recognition” regarding Paterno to Penn State officials for review.
“As the committee contemplates this submission and the honorific naming of the field at Beaver Stadium, it is imperative to deliberately discern the historical implications of a decision to not act,” the document reads. “In an era where the allure and perceived need for commercial sponsorship is insatiable, naming the field merely for cash would leave the act bereft of its authentic meaning and
dilute the historical contributions of one of Penn State’s greatest builders.”
Penn State Policies defines the procedures for naming university facilities. Kraft said Monday that no other group had gone through the formal naming proposal process. Lubrano on Monday tried to reintroduce the resolution he withdrew last year, but Penn State Trustees Chair David Kleppinger denied the motion, saying that it’s “inconsistent with the naming protocols that the university has at this time.”
Kraft told the board that he began discussions with West Shore Home and Weryzn in 2024 about suite options at Beaver Stadium. Those discussion grew into a “much larger partnership” which became the naming rights deal.
“This is the option we have in front of us,” Kraft said of the West Shore Home offer. “There’s a bunch of things you can do, this is what we have in front of us.”
Questions about fundraising
Some trustees said that Penn State could have raised more money than the $50 million gift by naming the field for Paterno. Penn State’s deal with West Shore Home averages $3.3 million per year. By comparison, according to Sports Business Journal, the University of Washington averages $4.1 million per year for Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium, and Georgia Tech averages $2.75 million annually for Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Ohio State’s two-year deal for with Safelite AutoGlass for field naming rights was worth $2.5 million annually, according to Penn State.
Though trustees didn’t present specifics regarding donations or their financing plan, some did suggest that fundraising for Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium would have been more effective.
“Last year I put forth a proposal that naming Joe and Sue Paterno Field is worth $260 million, so I can’t support selling cheap,” trustee Ted Brown said. “If the stadium really needs money, and it does, please let some of us trustees raise $100 million or more.”
Added Lubrano, “You want to see transformational? If we agree to Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium, we’ll raise hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Penn State’s board approved the proposal for West Shore Home at Beaver Stadium by a vote of 22-8. Among those who voted no were Short, McGloin and former Penn State football player and coach Jay Paterno. Those who spoke in favor of Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium said that alumni and fans should have a voice in the process.
“We’ve never had a debate or discussion publicly about a matter of great public interest — that is the naming of the field after the Paternos,” Lubrano said. “It’s incumbent upon us to have that conversation. What do we fear? What is the problem? I wish someone would explain that to the public so they understand as well.”
“You’re trying to erase 46 years as a head coach,” McGloin told the board. “And what’s happening now may look like a successful move, but I don’t believe it’s a very honorable one.”
More Penn State Sports
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
