Penn State Beaver Stadium public address announcer Dean DeVore no longer with athletic department
Penn State athletics is moving on from a familiar voice to many fans of Nittany Lion football. A department spokesperson told BWI Tuesday that Dean DeVore, who has shared team introductions, down and distance updates, scores from around college football, and so much more with those inside of Beaver Stadium as its public address announcer since 2000, will no longer hold that role.
“Dean DeVore is no longer with Penn State Athletics,” a school spokesperson said in a statement. “We do not have further comment as this is a personnel matter.”
DKPittsburghSports first reported that DeVore would no longer be the Beaver Stadium PA announcer. A reason for the change was not immediately revealed.
“(Penn State) trusted me to do it,” DeVore told Town and Gown in 2021 while recounting how he got the football PA job in the first place. Before then, he was doing it for other sports and also doing plenty of radio work. That was all in addition to his job as a meteorologist for Accuweather.
“They know that I’m really about the athletes. Magnifying the athlete’s performance is what it’s about. It’s not about me.”
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A timeline has not been set to find DeVore’s replacement. However, the new person must be in place by September. That’s when the Lions open their 2023 season opposite West Virginia on the first Saturday of the month. DeVore also was the public address announcer for the Blue Band and Lions’ women’s volleyball.
Could other Penn State football game day changes be on the horizon?
Penn State athletic director Dr. Patrick Kraft’s second full year at the school starts in July. He was hired away from Boston College last April but did not start with the Lions until July 1, 2022. Thus, last summer, plus the 2022 fall semester and 2023 spring semester, were his first opportunities to see all of his home venue’s game day presentations. Kraft won’t change things unilaterally, of course. But, if he and his administration team have ideas, it would make sense that they would be implemented starting with the fall sports season.
DeVore’s departure is one obvious change ahead of the 2023 season. One other possible alteration to the Penn State football game day experience could be team arrival.
For the Blue-White game, the team entered the south end zone tunnel after walking through the ‘Blue-White Boardwalk,’ which was set up in the parking lot beside Curtain Road. Previously, the team exited its famed blue busses at the corner of Curtain and Porter roads before marching down the former. It was by no means a big change. And, it’s not guaranteed to be permanent, either. But, it is something to watch for moving forward in addition to any other potential changes.
