Three Former Penn State Football Players Sweep Board of Trustees Alumni Election

Three former Penn State football players swept the election for alumni seats on the university's Board of Trustees, with two becoming first-time board members. Carl Nassib, a Penn State All-America defensive end, and quarterback Matt McGloin joined All-America linebacker Brandon Short in winning the 2024 alumni trustees election.

As a result, four of the board's nine alumni trustees are Penn State football lettermen. Jay Paterno, who played quarterback at Penn State in the 1980s, won re-election in 2023. Penn State alumni also elected former All-American and professional soccer play Ali Krieger to the board as an alumni trustee in 2023. Short led this year's balloting with 17,083 votes. McGloin received 15,064 votes, and Nassib received13,274 votes. Penn State received a total of 24,060 ballots. The three trustees begin their three-year terms July 1.

Nassib and Short, who has been a Penn State trustee since 2018, ran together on a three-person bloc with trustee Steven Wagman, who was not re-elected. Nassib, a former Penn State walk-on football player who built himself into an All-American, built his candidacy on four criteria. They are, according to his election biography:

Nassib described the last platform point like this: "In response to the evolving landscape of the Big Ten Conference, I pledge to support Penn State’s athletes, coaches, and administrators. This commitment involves providing the necessary guidance and support to sustain and advance our athletic programs’ excellence, ensuring they remain at the forefront of competition in this new era."

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McGloin, who like Nassib ran for the first time, played quarterback for Penn State during the NCAA sanctions period. He played for both Joe Paterno and Bill O'Brien, becoming the first-time head coach's first starting quarterback in 2012. McGloin ran with trustee Alvin de Levie, a lawyer who has been on Penn State's board since 2021. McGloin wrote about his goals as a Penn State trustee in his platform statement.

"After retiring from the NFL, I realized my calling was a career in public service. That is why I ran for

Lackawanna County Commissioner and why I hope to serve the Penn State community on the Board

of Trustees," McGloin wrote. "Helping lead the Penn State Football program during one of the darkest periods any school has ever faced and being one of the ones who stayed, my commitment to our school never waived and it never will. Fighting through that difficult time would not have been possible without the support of our Penn State Family.

"Penn State gave me an opportunity that no one else would — to further my academic and athletic career. This is now my opportunity to give back to a university that has given me so much. I will oppose tuition increases, be a resource to help our Commonwealth Campuses, and fight to restore the legacy of Joe and Sue Paterno by naming our field at Beaver Stadium 'Paterno Field.' I am committed to serving the alumni on the Board of Trustees with integrity, loyalty, and good character."

Short was the only incumbent candidate to win re-election. He will serve his third term as an alumni trustee. Short ran on a platform that included student affordability, improving Penn State's academic ranking, and "honoring the past and supporting the future of [Penn State] Athletics."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.