Op-Ed:
By Deborah Kevin ’91, Highlander Press and the Dear JoePa Project
When Cracker Barrel quietly updated its branding in August 2025, it likely anticipated a modest refresh—not a full-blown crisis. But the removal of Uncle Herschel, the iconic image of an elderly man seated beside a barrel, sparked immediate backlash. Customers called the update “sterile” and “soulless.” Investors panicked, wiping nearly $100 million off the company’s market value.
Why? Because Cracker Barrel didn’t just change a logo—it unintentionally erased the face of its origin story.
For decades, Uncle Herschel McCartney, uncle of Cracker Barrel founder Dan Evins, symbolized warmth, community, and the authentic Americana experience Cracker Barrel promised. Removing him struck an emotional nerve. It felt like cutting ties with heritage. The leadership responded quickly, clarifying that Uncle Herschel “isn’t going anywhere” and reaffirming his central role in the brand’s identity.
Cracker Barrel didn’t just bring back a character—it restored trust.
And Penn State should take note.
The Parallels Are Unmistakable
For more than a decade, Penn State has wrestled with its own branding identity, particularly its complicated relationship with Joe Paterno’s legacy. Paterno wasn’t just a football coach; he was the architect of The Grand Experiment—the idea that excellence in athletics and academics could coexist. Under his leadership, Penn State transformed from a regional college into a globally recognized academic-athletic powerhouse.
But since 2011, institutional messaging has systematically minimized or avoided Paterno’s contributions, framing “moving forward” as synonymous with leaving the past behind. While some trustees and administrators view this as risk management, the unintended consequence has been deep emotional disconnection among alumni, athletes, and supporters who view Paterno as central to Penn State’s identity.
Like Cracker Barrel’s Uncle Herschel, Joe Paterno represents more than a person—he embodies values: integrity, education, and loyalty. Removing him from the narrative has left a void Penn State has yet to fill.
Ignoring Stakeholders Comes at a Cost
Both Cracker Barrel and Penn State brought in leaders from outside their cultural roots—Cracker Barrel’s CEO, Julie Felss Masino, formerly of Taco Bell, and Penn State’s Board of Trustees, increasingly dominated by business and legal voices over alumni and academic representation.
In both cases, decisions were made to pivot identity—without fully understanding the emotional weight carried by their icons. Cracker Barrel learned quickly: customers weren’t rejecting change; they were rejecting being erased. By reinstating Uncle Herschel, Cracker Barrel didn’t abandon modernization—it balanced it with heritage.
Penn State hasn’t yet struck that balance.
The university’s reluctance to openly acknowledge Paterno’s influence has widened divisions among stakeholders, fueling alumni disengagement, donor fatigue, fractured fan bases, and a persistent identity crisis. As one branding expert observed after Cracker Barrel’s stumble:
“When you’re a legacy brand, your stakeholders own your brand—you don’t.”
Penn State’s global reputation was built on the collective contributions of alumni, athletes, faculty, and yes, Paterno himself. Treating that history as an inconvenience is not prudent. It is tone-deaf.
Honoring Legacy ≠ Whitewashing History
Restoring Joe Paterno’s rightful place in Penn State’s story doesn’t require ignoring hard truths. It requires strategic vision: integrating the past into a forward-facing narrative.
Cracker Barrel didn’t reverse its brand refresh; it adapted it to retain emotional continuity. Penn State can do the same. Celebrating Paterno’s decades of impact alongside ongoing innovation isn’t contradictory; it’s a blueprint for trust.
The Opportunity Before Us
Penn State has a rare chance to lead. By engaging alumni, students, and faculty directly, the university can craft a thoughtful, publicly articulated reexamination of Paterno’s role—one rooted in honesty, inclusion, and respect.
This isn’t about statues or slogans. It’s about understanding that a university’s brand isn’t defined by logos or press releases. It’s a living story, authored by the people who believe in it most.
Cracker Barrel acted after losing $100 million in market value and national goodwill. Penn State can act before alienation deepens further.
If Cracker Barrel taught us anything, it’s this: legacy isn’t a liability. It’s leverage.
Joe Paterno isn’t Penn State’s past—he’s part of its foundation. And until the university acknowledges that openly and intentionally, it will struggle to unify the community behind its future.
The Grand Experiment was never just about football. It was about values. It still can be.
17 Responses
https://youtu.be/Q3daVLTeE3Q?si=5yUbb51ORGbMk-qP
I and my family 100% (no, 1,000%) support bringing back Joe (Joe-paw) to be the Iconic face of success and integrity that Penn State. His leadership and successes on the field and off is exemplified by the community and business leaders that he helped develop.
“Joe-paw”?
Really?
GREAT story! We must honor our foundation. The University needs to listen to its alumni. https://youtu.be/Su6zbeXdnXw?si=AY50HZLwChd-sTQJ
My understanding of the origins of the Grand Experiment is that it dates to the administration of Ralph Hetzel. Read Ron Smith’s books. He’s a historian.
Joe Paterno used the name “Grand Experiment” to describe his approach to college football, specifically in an interview with Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News in 1967.
That doesn’t mean it originated with him. See https://www.eifrigpublishing.com/collections/mt-nittany-press/products/nailed-to-the-crossbar-from-the-ncaa-penn-state-consent-decree-to-the-joe-paterno-family-lawsuit
This article says it all. When the university “canceled” Joe and Sue Paterno, they not only canceled supporters, alumni, and athletes like me (’71 Cotton Bowl, ’72 Sugar Bowl), but they also lost an estimated $150 million per year each year from those of us who stopped giving because of what they did. Why would any of us who got “erased” continue to provide financial support to an institution that no longer supports the values JoePa taught us, such as integrity, loyalty, and honor? The university is constantly attempting to raise lots of money. The academic achievements of the current football players rank in the bottom of the Big 10. The current football coaches’ record in the big games is 1 win and 15 losses. As the saying goes . . . “Go Woke, Go Broke!”
What does “Go woke, Go broke!” (which I’m certain you couldn’t WAIT to “shoe horn” into your response) have to do with this article or the rest of your response, Dr. Brown?
I (and I’m sure many others) anxiously await your response. Thanks.
I see that the university as a whole has moved to the progressive left side of everything. To me, that could be considered ‘going woke’. PSU no longer espouses the traditional values it used to.
Paterno’s legacy is enabling a serial pedophile.
Jerry Sandusky is not a serial pedophile – listen to https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/with-the-benefit-of-hindsight/id1562078872
Jerry is innocent
Cracker Barrel sales are declining with their base customer. The attempt to modernize their brand to attract new customers remains paramount to remain viable. The right wing outrage machine called the new logo “woke” which made zero sense. It was bland and boring and consumers don’t select a restaurant based on a logo. They want a great value with well prepared food in a cozy setting. Logo changes don’t deliver that experience.
The student enrollment cliff is real and Penn State’s future depends on attracting new students who could care less about “the legacy of Penn State’s old football coach”. The PSU brand should reflect what is important today! Academic excellence and outstanding life changing research to just name a few attributes.
You nailed it Debby! (“moving forward” as synonymous with leaving the past behind.)
The struggle is real…and sad. I am not sure the right people/mindset is in place to do what is needed to heal this situation, when they spell value$ with dollar signs.
The university needs to acknowledge wrong-doing before being able to move forward. It cannot ignore the fact that dozens of attrocities were committed by Sandusky on the university’s watch, and with, at least, the administrations knowledge. The email threads of Graham Spanier show that he was aware of what happened. The fact that Graham Spanier allowed Sandusky to continue to hold his football camps at Penn State (but required him to move them to less visible campuses) is evidence enough for me that Spanier and others were very much in the know and only trying to cover their own tails while bringing in the $$$ and ignoring innocent victems. To pretend this didn’t happen is an insult.
It’s sad to see some of the above comments with their lack of knowledge concerning the ugly and inaccurate articles and media reports 13 years ago regarding PSU, Jerry Sandusky, and Joe Paterno. It’s easy to grab a headline soundbite but those that cared researched the situation before jumping on the PSU is guilty bandwagon. I ask you to listen to the podcast highlighted in a previous comment and read the book: The Most Hated Man in America: Jerry Sandusky and the Rush to Judgment by Mark Pendergrast (https://www.amazon.com/Most-Hated-Man-America-Sandusky/dp/162006765X). I also did separate research by talking to psychologists regarding many of the inappropriate practices employed during that rush to judgment.
To see very successful professionals behave so immature (Board of Trustees and PA State leadership) was discouraging. You would have thought the rush to judgement at Duke regarding their lacrosse team would have been a great example that before rash decisions were made everyone take a deep breath. To completely act like someone with the integrity the Paternos had demonstrated for decades would suddenly change is very naive.
Yes PSU, like many colleges, become generational. My son couldn’t wait to go to PSU and represent them as an athlete. He had many other options but he wanted to be a Nittany Lion. He knew when he stepped up on the starting block with his PSU swim cap on he was representing 500,000+ alums that had the concept of the Grand Experiment and Success With Honor as part of their DNA.
JoePa, & SuePa were a very large part of that aura and pride. For PSU to ignore that in a matter of a couple days that November in 2011 was extremely amateurish for people who were in positions based on their experiences.
Sure it seems like forever ago but it’s not too late to stand up and be proud of who we are and not shy away from what made us PSU.
Incorrect. Do some research.