PSU Board of Trustees
Penn State Football’s Ties to the Board of Trustees—
The BoT currently has 38 total members elected by the Alumni (9) and various Business & Interest Groups (15), with six members selected by the Governor of Pennsylvania and six ex-officio members (some non-voting) along with 1 faculty member and 1 current student
The following are the former Penn State football players who have served on the Board (names in blue are current members)—Players are commonly elected by the Alumni, but some have been appointed by the Governor
Pete Mauthe FB/K 1909-1912
Jesse Arnelle End 1951-1954 (served on board from 1969-2014/opted not to run for re-election)
Steve Garban C/LB 1956-1958 (resigned in July 2012 following criticism of his role in the firing of Joe Paterno)
Paul Suhey LB/TE 1975-1978 (defeated in 2013 re-election bid following criticism of his role in the firing of Joe Paterno)
Dave Joyner OT 1969-1971 (resigned from board in Nov. 2011 to assume role of Acting Athletic Director/served as permanent AD 2013-2015)
Todd Rucci OT/DT 1988-1992 (appointed by the Governor in 2014)
Bob Capretto DB 1965-1967 (appointed by the Governor in 2015)—see Nittany Notes below
Adam Taliaferro CB 2000
Dan Delligatti DT/LB 1982-1984 (appointed by the Governor in 2017/re-appointment pending in 2026)
Matt McGloin QB 2008-2012 (1st term expires 2027)
Carl Nassib DE 2011-2015 (1st term expires 2027)
Brandon Short LB/DE 1995-1999 (3rd term expires 2027)
Jay Paterno QB 1986-1989 (4th term expires 2029)
Former football players currently hold 4 of the 9 Alumni positions & 1 of 6 Governor’s appointments
The 2024 Alumni Board Election
The Alumni election of May 2024 saw a rush of former players joining the Board of Trustees. Newcomers Matt McGloin and Carl Nassib were elected along with 3rd-term returnee Brandon Short. Combined with the 2023 election winners Jay Paterno and former soccer player Ali Krieger, former Penn State varsity athletes held 5 of the 9 Alumni slots on the BoT through the 2026 election which saw Krieger ousted.
Nittany Notes:
The biggest moment for a possibly not-so-well remembered former member of the Board of Trustees… Bob Capretto DB (1965-67)
It’s the 1967 Gator Bowl… Penn State vs. Florida State… The first bowl of the Paterno-era…
The Nittany Lions are riding a 7-game winning streak, but are in the process of letting the Seminoles erase a 17-point lead in the second half…Noles QB Kim Hammond would score from the 1-yard line, and the third quarter ended with the Noles trailing Penn State, 17-14... The game would then come down to FSU’s final possession…. Hammond drove the Seminoles to near the PSU 8-yard line with 20 seconds to go in the game… It’s 3rd and 5… The Noles could get a first down inside the 4, but FSU goes for the game-winning TD instead… Hammond’s pass is intended for star flanker Ron Sellers in the right corner of the endzone… Luckily for PSU, it is tipped away at the last moment by Senior defensive back Bob Capretto…Then with 15 seconds on the clock, FSU gets cautious on 4th down and sends out the kicker to tie the game… Noles head coach Bill Peterson would definitely feel the heat for this decision… Boos actually come from both of the fan groups in the stadium… The 26-yard FG is good and the game ends in a 17-all tie, and no one is completely happy… Despite combining for 7 INTs, Hammond (362 yds. passing with 4 INTs) and Penn State QB Tom Sherman (2 TD passes & a made FG) are the co-MVPs of the game…
Unknown at that moment, Capretto’s tip of the ball preserved what would become a 31-game unbeaten streak… The Lions would win their next 23 in a row covering two 11-0 seasons in ‘68 and ‘69… And totally unrelated to football, nearly half a century later Bob Capretto would be appointed to the Penn State Board of Trustees by then Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf…