A Personal Appeal for Leadership, Culture, and the Future of Penn State
By Greg Woodman
It wasn’t a championship game. In fact, we’d lost four in a row. I had purposely chosen to work instead of going to the game. I was in my office when I finally checked the score in the third quarter. Oh my.
We were in a tight game against Indiana. I called my son in San Diego and asked, “Did you sell your ticket?” “Nope,” he said. And just like that, he texted it to me.
Despite being a sudden cardiac arrest survivor, I threw on a white jacket and ran a nine-minute mile toward Beaver Stadium. My children were texting me, “Go Dad! Get in there!” while also tracking me on their phones and pleading, “Slow down. You might die running.”
On the way, I picked up a pack of students also hoping to get in. But gate after gate, we were all turned away. The policy was clear: no one gets in after halftime, even with a fresh ticket. The students gave up after the first rejection. Not me. I was going to get in that stadium.
Eventually, a kind woman working the suite blue tunnel entranceway listened to my plea tossing every story I could at her on why I needed in there and let me through. I made it just in time. We didn’t win that day. But what I felt running, waiting, pleading to be let in was real. That was Penn State.
And that’s why I’m writing this.
Since 2007, I’ve had the privilege of teaching leadership and entrepreneurship here. And at age 67, I’ll graduate this December 21 with a master’s in Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Across every case study, every classroom discussion, and every real-world application, the most consistent truth is this:
Culture eats strategy for breakfast.
And when it comes to leadership that builds lasting culture, one name stands out. Not because he talks about it, but because he lives it.
Terry Smith.
What the Best Organizations Have Already Figured Out
The corporate world figured it out first. Look at Apple under Tim Cook. Microsoft under Satya Nadella. Progressive under Tricia Griffith. They chose humility, consistency, and empowerment over ego and charisma.
They’re winning, not by shouting, but by serving.
College football is now in the same inflection. NIL, the transfer portal, and revenue sharing have made players the center of the equation. Just like in the NFL, where head coaches earn 2 to 4 percent of revenue. Some college coaches are earning 12 percent, with less to show for it.
The old model is broken. The numbers say so. The locker rooms know it.
Corporate innovation is always backed by earnings and results. The NFL offers a clear model of financial discipline and cultural alignment. Terry Smith isn’t just the emotional choice. He’s the economic one. Love wins over fear, and that’s good business.
The programs that will win next won’t be built on bravado. They’ll be built on trust, alignment, and servant leadership.
The Right Leader at the Right Time
Terry Smith has lived the chaos and culture shifts of this past season. He didn’t watch from the sideline. He helped hold it together. When money and ego fractured the locker room, Terry stood firm. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t flee. He led.
And he led like the greats.
Penn State has a proud tradition of builders:
- Cael Sanderson
- Erica Dambach
- Char Morett-Curtiss
- Katie Schumacher-Cawley
- Guy Gadowsky
- Harry Groves
- Russ Rose
These coaches weren’t headlines. They were heartlines. Their greatness wasn’t shouted. It was lived. Terry Smith belongs among them.
This Isn’t Just About Football
This is about what kind of institution we want to be.
We’re navigating:
- A demographic cliff
- The impact of AI and the shifting demand for trade skills
- Rising financial strain
- A 700 million dollar stadium investment
- The evolving value proposition of higher education
In moments like these, fear screams for flash. But leaders choose substance.
Hiring a big-name coach because “that’s what’s expected” is not a strategy. It’s a reaction. And higher ed has been played by agents, PR machines, and headline-chasers for too long.
It’s time to choose differently.
Why Love Wins
Love in leadership is not softness. It’s strength. It’s holding players to a standard that respects them as people, not just as performers.
- Love creates culture
- Culture creates alignment
- Alignment creates wins
Fear builds silos and buyouts. Love builds unity and belief.
The choice in front of us is simple: repeat the cycle or reshape the future.
Terry Smith Has Already Started Building the Future
Lane Kiffin. Other hot names. They have résumés. But they don’t have the locker room. They don’t have the trust. They don’t have the lived experience of leading this team through one of its most turbulent seasons.
They also come from a model that no longer works. The one with private jets on standby and agents who renegotiate contracts five times before one is even finished. It’s an ego-driven cycle that benefits a few and drains institutions. The smell of fraud is getting stronger by the minute. And the fact that sportswriters and podcasters can’t see it is truly shocking.
Terry does.
He’s not a substitute. He’s not a fallback. He’s the one who stayed when others watched. He’s not just present. He’s foundational.
And in today’s environment, that matters more than ever.
The Heartbeat of Penn State
In 1978, I walked the tailgates selling T-shirts. That’s where I first felt it, that spark in the eyes of fans, the warmth in their stories, the pride in their voices. I didn’t just sell shirts. I listened.
That was the beginning of a journey that led me to teach, build businesses, and create for the Penn State community for nearly five decades. That same desire to listen and connect is what led me to launch a platform called Connect Happy Valley, not to promote myself, but to connect hearts.
Because connection is what has always made this place special. It’s what we need now more than ever. And Terry Smith is the embodiment of that connection.
The hiring of Terry will connect the hearts of all Penn Staters. Let’s not miss this moment of truth.
He understands that leading Penn State Football isn’t about personality. It’s about presence. It’s about love, loyalty, and legacy.
A Final Word
I worry Penn State may not hire Terry. Not because he’s not the best choice. He is. But because too many recent decisions have been shaped by fear, not foresight. And reversing a fear-based mindset is hard. But it’s not impossible. It starts with one bold choice. This one.
So, Pat, choose love over fear. Choose connection over ego. Choose Terry.
This is a moment that demands clarity, not convention. Courage, not comfort.
Terry Smith is not just the feel-good choice. He’s the culture-first, future-facing, leadership-driven choice.
This is our moment.
This is our move.
This is Penn State.
Greg Woodman is curator of Why Penn State: Why the 1980s Gave the Nittany Lions a Common Cause, Culture and Shared Values. https://whypennstatebook.com. You can email Greg at Greg@affinityconnection.com or catch his podcast on Youtube called “The Clarity Compass”.
