‘Fourth and Long’ Author John Bacon to Speak at Penn State

John Bacon, the author who wrote the highly publicized book Fourth and Long: The Fight for the Soul of College Football, will visit Penn State on September 12.

The event, called “A Conversation with John Bacon,” will be presented by the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism and will be moderated by recently appointed Knight Chair in Sports Journalism John Affleck at 5 p.m. in Carnegie Cinema. After his discussion with Affleck, Bacon will take questions from the audience.

Fourth and Long and caused shockwaves in the college football world — Bacon followed Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Northwestern to write it — but its biggest impact was among the Penn State community. The book was critical of many major players in the Penn State family, including athletic director David Joyner and former quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno.

The book also features an extensive look into Penn State on the day that the NCAA sanctions against the school came down and how Bill O’Brien, Craig Fitzgerald, Michael Mauti, and Michael Zordich played major roles in keeping the team together.

The book is available in stores now, but you can read excerpts via the Wall Street Journal and Black Shoe Diaries.