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Penn State unveils helmet decal honoring Wally Triplett for Cotton Bowl
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Penn State has hinted at doing something special to honor Wally Triplett during the Cotton Bowl Classic on Saturday, and now we know how the Nittany Lions will honor the former star.
Penn State will wear special helmet decals honoring Triplett when it takes the field against Memphis this weekend. Triplett and teammate Dennie Hoggard were the first African-American football players to participate in the Cotton Bowl, playing in the 1948 game.
Triplett scored a game-tying touchdown and made three tackles in a 13-13 game against SMU.
Below is the decal:
#PennState players will be donning a special decal on their helmets this Saturday to honor the legacy of Wally Triplett & his impact on the history rich Cotton Bowl.#WeAre pic.twitter.com/9OIlYgDD6s
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) December 27, 2019
“I think it’s a great opportunity to obviously make sure our focus is one the Cotton Bowl and the great opponent that we have in Memphis, but also to be able to take some time and talk about history,” Franklin told reporters. “The history of our game of football, history of our specific universities, history of the Cotton Bowl and more importantly history of our country and how far we’ve come in a short period of time.”
Triplett passed away at the age of 92 in November 2018. He was a member of Penn State’s football team from 1946-48.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB