Jake Trotter, Adam Rittenberg, Heather DinichOct 16, 2025, 07:00 AM ETSTATE 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.
There, his wife and daughter waited. He sent them ahead --...
