The tidal wave of support for Terry Smith to become Penn State football’s next full-time head coach has inspired one superfan to create a sign that quickly went viral. Its message was simple: “Hire Terry Smith.”
The creator of the sign is Matthew John Wolosz, known online as Matthew John. Many Penn State fans may also recognize him for another passion project being the “Penn State jersey guy.”
We previously profiled Wolosz during Penn State’s celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 2005 team, the squad credited with restoring the roar in Happy Valley. Wolosz loaned his extensive 2005 jersey collection to the All-Sports Museum to help showcase iconic uniforms from that season.
Now, Wolosz is attempting a restoration of his own by pushing for Terry Smith to land the job.
“The first person I thought of for head coach I texted my wife literally within minutes was Terry Smith,” Wolosz told Nittany Sports Now’s Joe and the Fatman podcast.
Wolosz explained that his admiration for Smith traces back to Smith’s days coaching at Gateway High School while recruiting Wolosz’s son, Justin King. Wolosz remembers watching Smith motivate young athletes and seeing leadership potential even then.
As Smith’s career progressed, from Gateway to Temple, and ultimately to Penn State, Wolosz took note of his steady rise. He pointed to Smith’s role as James Franklin’s No. 2, his recruiting ability, and the defensive backs room he has built into one of the nation’s best.
“I felt so strongly that here’s a perfect opportunity,” Wolosz said. “Instead of chasing the next Nick Saban, or the next Urban Meyer, or the next Curt Cignetti — we can hire the first Terry Smith.”
Wolosz’s support intensified after Penn State’s gritty performance against No. 2 Indiana, a game the Nittany Lions led into the final minute.
Following Penn State’s 28–10 win over Michigan State, snapping a six-game losing streak, Wolosz moved forward with printing the signs and organizing a grassroots distribution campaign.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“I printed out 150 signs. I had my big sign, and I just started handing them out on the way into the stadium. When the players were doing their walk from the buses, people kept coming up asking, ‘Can I have a sign?’ Coach Smith’s family was out there, and they were even asking. I had lettermen, alumni, police officers, ushers everyone asking for signs.”
Matthew Wolosz’s sign to campaign for Terry Smith
Wolosz’s children, his “little marketing assistants,” as he calls them, helped spread the message.
He knew the signs would have the biggest impact if he sat near the Penn State bench, so he bought tickets on the 50-yard line and entered the stadium with 125 signs. As fans recognized his message, he continued to hand them out.
As Penn State began to pull away against Nebraska, excitement grew, and Wolosz held onto a few signs for what he hoped might be the “ultimate moment.”
“Midway through the fourth quarter, people flooded in when they started the Terry chant. Recruits, parents, lettermen, players’ families, season-ticket holders, police, ushers everyone. Old fans, young fans. They were all saying, ‘I want a sign.’ I just kept handing them out, and the whole section was holding them up.”
The turning point, Wolosz said, came when the players themselves began acknowledging the signs.
The players were pointing at the signs and at my big one. Then a Penn State staffer came over asking if I had more. I had held back two dozen just in case the players wanted them after the game. I handed them over, and he passed them out. That moment validated the whole effort.”
Wolosz plans to continue his campaign this weekend in Piscataway, New Jersey, when Penn State faces Rutgers with a fresh batch of signs ready to go.
