Father’s Day often has a particularly unique meaning for members of the Penn State football family. Over the years, we’ve watched time and again as sons have followed in their father’s footsteps. There have been nearly 30 father and son pairings — a storied part of the program’s tradition.
There is no denying the importance of the tradition that makes up the fabric of the Penn State football program. The uniforms have — for the most part — stayed the same. The mantra of “Success with Honor” is as true as it has ever been; and carrying on the legacy of the past is as important as forging one’s own place in history.
There are father and son pairings like Charlie and Tony Pittman. The two went a combined 45-0-1, putting together one of the best known father/son records in college football history. The Pittman’s played on three of former head coach Joe Paterno’s five undefeated teams. Both were named First Team Academic All-Americans in their senior years, the only pairing to earn that distinction in Penn State history.
There are families that took their success at Penn State to the next level in the NFL. Both Leo and Stefen Wisniewski, made their mark at Penn State before joining the NFL. Former Penn State linebacker Nate Stupar followed in his uncle Jeff Hostetler’s footsteps making his way from Penn State to the professional level.
There are full family affairs. Matt Suhey played under Paterno in the late 1970s along with his brothers Paul and Larry. Their father Steve Suhey was a College Football Hall of Fame guard, and their grandfather, Bob Higgins, was Penn State’s coach from 1930 until 1948. Matt’s son Joe, would eventually take his place in a long line of Suheys to have worn the blue and white.
Some of Penn State’s most popular players have a family story behind them.
With scholarship offers from Florida and Oklahoma among many others, linebacker Michael Mauti was considered one of the top linebackers in the Southeast. He took a trip to State College for the Nittany Lions’ senior camp in June of 2007. Mauti found himself in front of Joe Paterno, a man who had coached both his older brother, Patrick and their father Rich.
Despite having offers from plenty of high profile programs, Mauti’s spur of the moment commitment was one that just felt right, and one that was emotional for his father.
“I wasn’t planning on making a decision, but my decision was already made before I even had thought about it. It was one of those things that just felt right,” Mauti said “I hadn’t told my dad or anything, the next thing you know, Joe is like, ‘so Mike, how do you feel and what are you thinking about?’ I just straight up said, ‘Coach, I’m here. This is where I want to be.’
“My dad kind of jumped out of his seat. ‘Wait a minute, Mike.’ Joe reached out and grabbed my dad – ‘Shut up Mauti, you heard the kid! He’s coming!’”
And just like that another father and son legacy was born.
This season Bill O’Brien will keep that tradition going. Jonathan Warner, the son of Penn State’s great running back Curt Warner, will look to make his impact at receiver. A member of the 2012 recruiting class, 2013 might finally be a chance for the younger Warner to make his own mark on the university. Richy Anderson Jr. will look to make his mark at running back, his dad’s old position.
“Obviously, it helps that Jonathan’s a receiver and not a running back,” Curt said when his son committed. “It would be extremely difficult for him to be at Penn State if he were a running back. That would be a lot of extra pressure.
“But he’s playing a different position, there’s a new regime in place there and it’s the start of a new era. I think he’s excited about the possibilities, excited about the opportunity to play for my alma mater. He has been hearing me rave about Penn State for years.”
While many things have changed at Penn State, and many things will continue to change, the importance of the father and son legacy in Happy Valley will likely never die.
“They have a passion for Penn State because they’ve grown up watching how much it meant to their dads,” second year head coach Bill O’Brien said. “Obviously, they have to be able to play and they have to be good students. But, that’s something that we’ll definitely continue to look at, no question about it.”
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