Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/82676
An aspiring Navy SEAL, P.J. Byers preps Penn State for the Midshipmen FULLBACK DIVE NATE BAuER | N B A U E R@B L U EWH I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State senior fullback P.J. Byers comes to practice each day with the knowledge that come Satur- day, he is unlikely to get any carries, or even see action at all in the game. In fact, since earning a spot as a walk-on with the Nittany Lions in 2010, the senior has garnered only one carry for 1 yard in the past two seasons combined. And yet, as his teammates would explain, Byers' role serves a function that might be considered just as im- portant to the Nittany Lions' success this season. "A lot of people look up to P.J.," said senior defensive end Pete Mas- saro. "[He's] one of the hardest work- ers on this football team. A lot of people overlook the role of the off- season and getting the football team ready for the season, but P.J. just did an outstanding job this off-sea- son. "He was a great leader for us and he continues to be a leader in prac- tice just among the guys on the team." As an active-duty member of the U.S. Navy, Byers knows about lead- ership. He knows what adversity is, too. Aspiring to be a Navy SEAL, Byers endured boot camp only to learn that his eyesight wasn't good enough. Transitioning to a focus on becom- ing a Navy dive specialist, Byers spent three years in Hawaii, learning underwater submarine repair and demolition of explosives. The next two years, he taught dolphins to find underwater mines in San Diego. Selected for the Navy's officer pro- gram, Byers is currently working to earn his degree before moving on to become an explosive ordinance dis- posal officer. Throughout the experience, Byers continued to love football, participat- S E P T E M B E R Tim Owen BYERS MARKET An active-duty U.S. Navy member, Byers rarely sees the playing field for Penn State, but that doesn't limit his impact on the team. Pete Massaro says Byers is "a great leader for us, and he continues to be a leader in practice" as he plays the role of Navy's fullback on the scout team. ing in military-sponsored leagues and learning some important paral- lels between the game and life in the Navy as a result. "I think it's taking a challenge and pushing it forward and completing that challenge," he said. "It's taking a new task to every day. Completing a mission. We have one mission here, and that's winning every game that we come up to every week. We're taking one game at a time. "So, as one team, we work toward that mission, just like a dive team would when I was a diver. We would work on one goal, get that job done and move on to the next goal." For Byers, his specific mission under head coach Bill O'Brien is to help prepare Penn State's defense for 1 2 , 2 0 1 2 11 each week's opponent. It's a respon- sibility he's happy to fulfill. This week, he's played the role of Navy fullback Noah Copeland, who is sec- ond on the team in rushing attempts with six carries for 29 yards against Notre Dame. Intimately aware of the character and toughness of this week's oppo- nent, Byers said he's been looking forward to this game for quite some time. "Ever since I got here," he said. "I didn't even know we were playing Navy, but it's really cool that I get to experience it, as does the whole team. I think the last time we played them was [1974]. "It's going to be a really good expe- rience for the team." B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M