Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/79325
Long before the university was shaken to its core by the Jerry Sandusky scan- dal – contempt for the former defensive coordinator runs so deep that some players refuse to even speak his name – the members of Penn State's senior class had fought their own battles, both on and off the field. They had learned to deal with adversity and bonded along the way. "When we all walked up to the front of the room, we all felt the exact same way," Zordich said. "It was very simple. Everybody just started looking at each other saying, 'I'm staying.' That was cool. We realized right there how close we were as a class." Added Mauti, "When you spend that much time with a group of guys and go through everything on and off the field, we all knew the right thing to do." So it was decided: Mauti and Zordich, along with Matt McGloin, Gerald Hodges, Pete Massaro, Mike Farrell, Jordan Hill, Sean Stanley, Stephon Morris, James Terry, Mike Yancich, Derek Day, Matt Stankiewitch and a host of senior walk-ons, weren't going anywhere. But there was an entire auditorium filled with juniors, sophomores and freshmen, the latter having arrived at Penn State only three weeks earlier. As harsh as they might have seemed to the seniors, the sanctions were des- tined to have a much greater impact on the younger players. Zordich put himself in their position, recalling what it was like to be a fresh- man. He thought about how, as a young player who hadn't yet paid his dues, the future was everything. Then he snapped back into the present, into a world in which there seemed to be nothing for those freshmen, sopho- mores and juniors to play for. To field a competitive team in 2012 and beyond, Penn State's coaching staff and senior class needed to perform a rescue mission. They needed to con- vey a straightforward message: Stay, and you will be helping maintain Penn State football. Leave, and the tradition of excellence built by thousands of let- termen, past and present, will be in danger of slipping away. "You have a chance to do something great," McGloin told his teammates. "You have a chance to bring this place back to the top. You have a chance to rebuild a great, great program." At first, it seemed as though few would be willing to take that chance. Except for the seniors, everyone ap- peared ready to transfer. Zordich, while desperate to keep the team together, understood how the underclassmen were feeling. "You've gotta realize how young these guys are," he said. "Especially the fresh- men. They were only here for a few weeks before this all broke out, so they barely knew what the program was all about or what the team was about. "You've gotta respect that they're thinking about leaving. That's just the way it is. That's the way it is with re- cruiting and college football. Kids want to go and play in bowl games and they want to win national championships. A lot rides on those sanctions." The seniors made their pitches, but as the day progressed, the program's future seemed no more assured. So the seniors called a squad meeting that night. Gathered at the front of the au- ditorium, they collectively made another plea to their younger teammates before opening up the floor to questions. "We understand the decision you have to make," Mauti said, "but this is TEAMWORK Zordich, above, and Mauti organized a public show of support for the program to rebut speculation that the team was on the verge of splitting apart following the NCAA sanctions. Photos by John Beale