Father's memory inspires
Gonzalez to strive for success
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A
seat 10 bleacher rows up at Union
City's football :eld remained empty
at every home game this past fall. At
Steven Gonzalez's Penn State signing day
ceremony later in February, the chair on
his right-hand side was open, too.
It was in the Union City stands that
Gonzalez's father, Jorge, watched each
one of his son's high school football games
until September 2013, when he unexpect-
edly died of a heart attack. That was his
seat, and from then on, it was saved every
game in his memory.
Steven thanks his father for getting
him involved in football and supplying
him with the initial drive to succeed in
the sport, as it had always been Jorge's
dream to see his son one day play in col-
lege. So when Gonzalez, a New Jersey
native, inked his national letter of intent,
choosing PSU over a dozen-plus other
scholarship offers, he wanted his dad's
memory to be near. On his left wrist, he
wore Jorge's old watch, which only comes
out "for special events," Steven said. He
also hung a notice on a nearby chair that
read
RESERVED MR. GONZALEZ. Echo-
ing that game-night tradition 10 rows
up at Roosevelt Stadium, a seat also
stayed open for Jorge at the signing day
table.
"I always wanted him to see me sign, so
I le= a chair reserved for him," Steven re-
cently recalled. "I de:nitely know he was
watching me sign that day."
Union City head coach Wil Valdez said
he has seen Gonzalez mature since that
di
