After 35 years of service to the district, Athletic Director Chris Weakland is set to retire on June 30. Weakland’s legacy as a student, teacher, coach and administrator is characterized by his constant dedication to building a positive experience for every student, every day.

After graduating from State High in 1984, Weakland played baseball at Millersville University before transferring home to Penn State. He first joined the district as a middle school football coach under head varsity coach Ron Pavlechko in 1988, then became an English teacher in 1990 and also taught in-car driver’s education. 

Weakland entered the district with another 2025 retiree, gym teacher and football coach Mark Baney. Baney praised Weakland’s leadership, problem-solving, and above all, approachability. 

“He’s a real close friend,” Baney said. “He and I would bounce things off one another all the time. In fact, if I have something that’s on my mind, I could go down there right now, and I know that I could talk to him, and everything would be cool just to talk to him.” 

Throughout his teaching career, Weakland primarily coached football, but also coached baseball and spent a year coaching basketball. While he eventually became an assistant principal, the Dean of Students and the Athletic Director, nothing was more rewarding for Weakland than coaching. 

“Adults who have kids who are going through our program right now, they’ll still come up to me and address me as ‘Coach Weakland.’ Next to being Dad, or Big Pappy or my wife’s husband, that’s probably one of the biggest joys, to be called ‘Coach,’” Weakland said.

One moment that still deeply resonates with Weakland occurred several years ago on New Year’s Eve. Weakland received a text well after midnight, and when he opened it, he saw a photo of a group of his former student-athletes ringing in the new year together. 

“To this day, that was so impactful, and it’s like, oh my gosh, I can’t believe it,” Weakland said. “These are kids, or young adults at this time, who thought of me in that moment. How did I become so blessed?”

Weakland continued to build strong relationships as an administrator. 

“[Weakland has] been a huge part of athletics here at State College and in our district as a principal, as an English teacher, who I had back in the day, as a Driver’s Ed[ucation] teacher who I had back in the day and as an Athletic Director,” State High Football Head Coach Matt Lintal said. “He’s set a really high bar of raising all of our athletic programs here over the last several years, and he leaves it in good hands with LC.”

As the Athletic Director, Weakland made an impact on thousands of student-athletes, including senior Oskar Williams. 

“He’s always been nice, he always offers a helping hand,” Williams said. “We see what he does behind the scenes every day, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.”

Weakland will be succeeded by the current Assistant Athletic Director, Loren Crispell. The duo is going on 30 years of knowing each other, and Crispell spoke highly of his predecessor.

“When he is done, there’s not only substantial institutional and district knowledge going with him, there’s a sincere love and selflessness for the district going with him as well,” Crispell said. “He’s given such a large part of himself to the district for such a long time and this community has been so fortunate to have him in the roles he has been in. He has set us up for success in so many ways, but we’re going to miss so much of what he brings to the district when he moves on, because he just never stops giving to the district every single day.”

That is the legacy that Weakland will leave behind, one of 14-hour days supporting student athletes and showing off his very limited golf prowess in players versus teachers events, not one of new turf fields and stadium lighting.

“He’s always been a great role model and someone to look up to and just base my actions off of,” Williams said. 

To Weakland, State College is a special place, and the community made the 35 years of, “working his tail off,” all worth it in the end. 

“This is my community, I’m an alumni. Years ago, I had an offer to go coach and teach at another school, and I turned it down because I couldn’t leave. This is my school, this is my home,” Weakland said. “I’m very grateful for all the opportunities, not even for myself, but for my entire family, so I could never leave that.”