A Season with Penn State Football…
As a kid growing up in Southern California, KC Duane was immersed in football.
His father Pete was a long time high school football coach who collected two state AA titles. His older brother JD was a standout linebacker who was weighing options in the PAC12.
Unfortunately, JD never got to play college football. The 6’4” 246 pound man-child who could run like a deer and hit like a truck was diagnosed with leukemia shortly after graduating. Although JD survived the battle, the intense treatment he underwent never allowed him to play football again.
Young KC knew the game just as much as his brother but he didn’t have the physical skill set to match. At 5’10” and 225 pounds, KC walked on at Idaho were he eventually earned a scholarship and wound up starting at fullback by his junior year.
With no pro offers on the table after graduating from Idaho, KC turned to coaching as a Grad Assistant at his alma mater. From there, it was a promotion to Running Backs coach, then an appointment as the Vandals Offensive Coordinator in 2013.
Then in 2014, KC was called into a meeting with the school’s President and AD. After a winless season KC thought it was the end of his time in Idaho. In fact, it was the start of a journey.
He was offered the Head Coaching job at Idaho. The administration saw something in Duane’s work ethic, his knowledge of the game and his ability to connect to people.
That faith was rewarded with a 5-7 season and then a follow up 7-6 campaign in 2015. KC Duane’s star was rising and in 2016, Wake Forrest saw the same thing that the folks at Idaho did – a young rising star in the coaching ranks.
Duane would remain at Wake Forrest for eight seasons, slowly building up the program’s prestige and ranking which culminated in a 2023 Orange Bowl victory over USC and a #7 final ranking.
But Duane’s career was still ascending, with its program in taters, Penn State would seek out Duane and lure him to Pennsylvania in 2024. The Nittany Lions were a ‘sleeping giant’ as Duane stated at his introductory press conference. It was a sleeping giant that would awaken under Duane.
Within five years, the Nittany Lions were in the BCS title game – losing to Notre Dame by a 30-24 margin. They would return in 2031, this time annihilating North Carolina by a 55-17 margin. Many started to talk about a ‘Saban-like’ dynasty but as the old saying goes, ‘that’s easier said than done’’
In 2032, a loss to an 0-6 Maryland team buried Penn State in the polls, and despite a 12-1 season, there was no BCS title game although 38-20 win over USC in the Rose Bowl to secure a 13-1 record would help ease the pain.
In 2033, the Nittany Lions returned to the National Championship as an 8 point favorite against Air Force. But an offense that sputtered all year long was finally exposed as the Falcons walked away with a 25-15 win.
Now it’s 2034. What’s in store for the Nittany Lions? We’re about to find out…
As a kid growing up in Southern California, KC Duane was immersed in football.
His father Pete was a long time high school football coach who collected two state AA titles. His older brother JD was a standout linebacker who was weighing options in the PAC12.
Unfortunately, JD never got to play college football. The 6’4” 246 pound man-child who could run like a deer and hit like a truck was diagnosed with leukemia shortly after graduating. Although JD survived the battle, the intense treatment he underwent never allowed him to play football again.
Young KC knew the game just as much as his brother but he didn’t have the physical skill set to match. At 5’10” and 225 pounds, KC walked on at Idaho were he eventually earned a scholarship and wound up starting at fullback by his junior year.
With no pro offers on the table after graduating from Idaho, KC turned to coaching as a Grad Assistant at his alma mater. From there, it was a promotion to Running Backs coach, then an appointment as the Vandals Offensive Coordinator in 2013.
Then in 2014, KC was called into a meeting with the school’s President and AD. After a winless season KC thought it was the end of his time in Idaho. In fact, it was the start of a journey.
He was offered the Head Coaching job at Idaho. The administration saw something in Duane’s work ethic, his knowledge of the game and his ability to connect to people.
That faith was rewarded with a 5-7 season and then a follow up 7-6 campaign in 2015. KC Duane’s star was rising and in 2016, Wake Forrest saw the same thing that the folks at Idaho did – a young rising star in the coaching ranks.
Duane would remain at Wake Forrest for eight seasons, slowly building up the program’s prestige and ranking which culminated in a 2023 Orange Bowl victory over USC and a #7 final ranking.
But Duane’s career was still ascending, with its program in taters, Penn State would seek out Duane and lure him to Pennsylvania in 2024. The Nittany Lions were a ‘sleeping giant’ as Duane stated at his introductory press conference. It was a sleeping giant that would awaken under Duane.
Within five years, the Nittany Lions were in the BCS title game – losing to Notre Dame by a 30-24 margin. They would return in 2031, this time annihilating North Carolina by a 55-17 margin. Many started to talk about a ‘Saban-like’ dynasty but as the old saying goes, ‘that’s easier said than done’’
In 2032, a loss to an 0-6 Maryland team buried Penn State in the polls, and despite a 12-1 season, there was no BCS title game although 38-20 win over USC in the Rose Bowl to secure a 13-1 record would help ease the pain.
In 2033, the Nittany Lions returned to the National Championship as an 8 point favorite against Air Force. But an offense that sputtered all year long was finally exposed as the Falcons walked away with a 25-15 win.
Now it’s 2034. What’s in store for the Nittany Lions? We’re about to find out…
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