Beaver Stadium will have two new public address announcers as Rodney Martin and Joe Putnam are set to take on those duties starting this upcoming Penn State football season, they told StateCollege.com.
The duo are taking over for Dean DeVore who had been the public address announcer at Beaver Stadium since 2000 and various other Penn State athletic events since 1989. Penn State parted ways with DeVore earlier this year.
Putnam is currently the State College Spikes Director of Communications but has historically worked radio play-by-play obligations as well as public address duties with the team. He has also long worked within Penn State Athletics overseeing various game-day operational and internal public address roles within the Beaver Stadium press box, serving as a commentator for Lady Lion basketball radio broadcasts and serving as public address announcer for various other Penn State athletic events.
Martin has been the Pegula Ice Arena public address announcer since the building opened in 2013 and has made occasional appearances in similar roles across campus over that span. Additionally, Martin has also spent the past two Spikes’ seasons working as Medlar Field at Lubrano Park’s public address announcer.
“I can’t think of a better person to be teaming up with on this adventure than Rodney Martin,” Putnam said. “Anyone who has ever been to a Penn State hockey game at Pegula Ice Arena, or a State College Spikes game at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, knows how Rodney’s distinctive voice can fill an arena or ballpark with energy, and that’s going to be even more evident inside Beaver Stadium.”
Logistically, Martin will take care of announcements related to the game such as down, distance and scoring. Putnam will fill in during media timeouts, halftime and pregame for announcements, commercial reads and other public address duties unrelated to the action going on down on the field.
“Beaver Stadium is such an iconic venue and has seen some incredible moments over the years,” Martin said. “To be able to be a part of one of the best atmospheres in college sports is certainly an honor. I am equally excited and nervous to get underway.”
To duo will work with Guido D’Elia, the originator of the White Out and newly rehired game-day atmosphere consultant after a stint with Rutgers following his departure from Penn State.
“It has been great working with Guido,” Martin added. “He has a definitive vision for how game days should run, but he is still open to suggestions and working with everyone. It is certainly a team effort. All of the folks involved in producing a Penn State football game are engaged in trying to make it the best it can be.”
Penn State, Martin and Putnam will start their newest chapter in about six weeks when the Nittany Lions open their 2023 season against West Virginia.
“It’s amazing to me that I’ve been able to go from being born just down the street from Beaver Stadium at Mount Nittany Medical Center and growing up in Bellefonte to being on public address and radio microphones for some of the most memorable days and nights in Happy Valley sports history,” Putnam said. “I cannot tell you how excited I am to feel the energy from 108,000+ fans at Beaver Stadium as we open the microphones up on September 2.”
