UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Record-setting Nittany Lion quarterback Wally Richardson is returning to Penn State as director of the Football Letterman’s Club. He will begin his duties in early June.

Richardson will be responsible for oversight of the Football Letterman’s Club, which has more than 1,000 dues-paying members and a database of more than 1,500 former Penn State football players and student managers. He also will serve as the primary liaison between Penn State Football and the State College Quarterback Club.

“I am really excited to be coming back to Penn State,” Richardson said. “I am looking forward to the opportunities that the Director of Football Letterman’s Club offers, interacting with all the former players and connecting with the current and more recent players. This is a great opportunity to help further strengthen the bond between the guys who have recently played and those who played at Penn State, whether it was 10, 20 or 50 years ago.”

From Sumter, S.C., Richardson led Penn State to a 20-5 record as the starting quarterback during the 1995 and 1996 seasons, including bowl wins over Auburn (1996, Outback) and Texas (1997, Fiesta). The 1996 team finished 11-2 and was No. 7 in the final polls, with wins over USC in the Kickoff Classic, and at Michigan and Wisconsin.

Richardson graduated holding several Penn State records, one of which did not fall until 2012, when Matt McGloin completed 35 passes vs. Northwestern to break Richardson’s mark (33 vs. Wisconsin, 1995). His 193 completions in 1995 still rank No. 6 in school annals and his 335 attempts that season are fifth-highest.

Richardson earned his degree in administration of justice in 1996. He earned a master's degree in higher education from Penn State in December 2003. During his undergraduate career, he was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and was selected Academic All-Big Ten three times.

He played two seasons with the National Football League's Baltimore Ravens. In 2001, he was the starting quarterback for the New York/New Jersey Hitmen in the XFL.

Richardson joined Penn State’s Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes as a graduate assistant in 2001 and from 2003-07, served as an academic counselor, working with football student-athletes. He and director Todd Kulka were responsible for advising the 100-plus members of the team and Richardson also taught a seminar for all freshman student-athletes.

From 2007-11, Richardson served as the associate director of the Rankin Smith Student-Athlete Service Center at the University of Georgia, working with members of the football, women’s volleyball and equestrian teams. He joined the University of North Carolina as the associate director of football academic support prior to the 2011 season, overseeing the advising of approximately 125 squad members.

Penn State returns 16 starters and 38 letterwinners for the 2013 season. Coach Bill O’Brien earned national and Big Ten Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Nittany Lions to wins in eight of their final 10 games last year, earning an 8-4 overall record (6-2 Big Ten).

Season tickets are available for the 2013 campaign. The Nittany Lions will host five bowl teams from 2012, including three teams that finished in the BCS Top 25: Michigan (Oct. 12-Homecoming), Nebraska (Nov. 23) and Kent State (Sept. 21). Purdue, Illinois, UCF and Eastern Michigan also will visit Beaver Stadium this fall.

For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com or call 800-NITTANY from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.

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