STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Two nights before James Franklin's final game at Penn State, an unranked Clarkson University men's hockey team scored on the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions a minute after puck drop. Behind the net, students erupted into chants of "Fire Franklin" -- and resumed the chant after every goal in a 6-4 Clarkson win.
On Saturday, during Penn State's stunning 22-21 loss to Northwestern, the "Fire Franklin" chants echoed through Beaver Stadium -- and never let up.
After a third straight loss, Franklin looked defeated. As if saying goodbye, he stood on the 10-yard line and hugged every remaining player on the field before heading through the south tunnel for the last time as head coach.