A former Penn State football captain and current staff member will fly with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels this weekend.
Michael Mauti, a legendary leader of the 2012 Nittany Lion team, will ride in the backseat of an F/A-18 Super Hornet on Friday, ahead of the Air Dot Show Central PA at Harrisburg International Airport Saturday through Monday.
The former linebacker who is now associate director of development for Penn State Athletics was selected as part of the Blue Angels “Key Influencer” program honoring deserving local people.
“I saw the Blue Angels fly for the first time when I was 10 years old,” Mauti said in a statement. “That kid never imagined he’d get to climb into the cockpit. The trust these pilots have in each other and the elite standard they hold themselves to is what makes them the best in the world. It’s the same standard that holds any great team together. I’m honored to be selected and look forward to learning from them.”
A key figure in keeping the team together and a winning season following NCAA sanctions, Mauti was first-team All-Big Ten and the conference linebacker of the year in 2012, despite missing the final game of the year after suffering the third torn ACL of his career.
He came back from the injury to be drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2013 and went on to play five seasons in the NFL, including three with his hometown New Orleans Saints.
After time as director of development and assistant head football coach at Trinity High School in Camp Hill, he returned to Penn State, where he now helps lead donor engagement, fundraising and strategic outreach efforts supporting Penn State student-athletes.
He serves on the board of his family’s Mauti Cancer Fund, founded by his father, Rich Mauti, also a former Nittany Lion football player and New Orleans Saint. Since its founding four decades ago, the fund has invested more than $4.2 million into Louisiana communities and cancer-related initiatives.
Scheduled for May 23-25 at Harrisburg International Airport, Air Dot Show Central PA is the third stop on the 2026 Air Dot Show Tour. In addition to the headlining Blue Angels, Air Dot Show Central PA will feature the F-16 Viper Demo Team, MV-22 Osprey, aerobatic pilot Michael Goulian and the West Point Parachute Team, among others.
