STATE COLLEGE -- When Al Wolski first arrived at State College Area High School as coach two years ago, the thing that struck him about then sophomore Nathan Stupar wasn't the combination of size, strength and speed that would make him a Division I college football prospect. It wasn't the instincts you'd expect from someone who was practically born to play football, either.
What struck Wolski about Stupar was the player's unbridled enthusiasm for the game.
"He just loves running around out there. He just loves playing football,'' Wolski said. "He's always going full throttle.''
Even now, Wolski says it's still the joy he sees from Stupar when he gets on the field that sets him apart.
But then, why shouldn't the Little Lions' 6-foot-2, 230-pound defensive end/tight end be having a blast? He's started for two years on a team that's made the playoffs, reaching the PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinals in 2005, and is one of the leaders on a State College team that appears poised to go just as far this season. He was named first-team all-state by both the Pennsylvania Football News and The Associated Press a year ago. He was recently one of approximately 400 seniors nominated for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Before the season, he committed to accept a scholarship from hometown Penn State.

Yes, life -- and football -- have been good to Nathan Stupar. But you almost get the feeling that he'd be enjoying it as much even if the game hadn't opened so many doors for him.

"I probably had a football it my hands before I could walk,'' Stupar said. "It's probably my favorite sport. I grew up playing football, basketball and baseball. Baseball kind of didn't work out, but I love football and basketball.

I have an equal passion for football and basketball.''
But, where there isn't much call for 6-2 power forwards at big-time college basketball programs, there are a lot of schools looking for players like Stupar for football. As a junior, he caught 42 passes for 644 yards and eight touchdowns on offense. Defensively, he made 63 tackles, had eight sacks, picked off a pass and recovered two fumbles.
"He has the quickness and intensity,'' Wolski said. "Ninety percent of high school football players go less than full speed. He's one of the 10 percent that's always going full speed. He does it all the time.''
 

That's been the case basically since he was born. In fact, you probably wouldn't have gotten many takers on bets that Stupar wouldn't grow up to be a football player.
Stupar's father, Steve, was a defensive tackle for Joe Paterno at Penn State. His father, Frank, played at Tennessee in the late 1940s. His mother, the former Cheryl Hostetler, had three brothers who also played football at Penn State: Ron, Doug and Jeff. Jeff later transferred to West Virginia before going on to a successful NFL career.
Stupar's older brother, Jonathan, is a tight end at the University of Virginia, and younger brother Robbie is a 6-0, 215-pound sophomore playing for State College High.
"Growing up, they were always playing,'' Steve Stupar said of his sons. "We'd play at home all the time for the backyard championship.''
Another uncle, Todd Hostetler, played baseball for Penn State.
It wasn't just the males in the Stupar household who had the athletic ability, either. Stupar's older sister, Katlyn, was a basketball player in high school and at Penn College. Stupar also has another older sister, Dyanna, who is currently working at Penn State.
Steve and Cheryl raised their kids about a dozen miles outside of State College in rural Centre County.
"It was rough. A lot of people would be running around and playing. I didn't really talk much,'' Nathan Stupar said. "I was a quiet kid. I'd play with our dog or play basketball.''
"There weren't a lot of other kids around, so the five kids were each other's friends,'' Steve Stupar said.
It's made Nathan something of a "homebody'' according to Steve. He said Nathan will often spend his nights or weekends with his parents, talking or playing pinball, air hockey or pool in the family basement.
 

While sports and family are irrevocably entwined for the Stupars, you can tell from Nathan that family comes first.
"Of course, in sports we'd be competitive. But, off the field, there is a lot of love,'' Nathan Stupar said. "My older brother would always give me an edge when we played -- he wouldn't let me know, though. Then, I would play against Robbie, and Jonathan would be all-time quarterback.''
It might be surprising, then, that those family ties played little role in his recruiting. Stupar picked Penn State over West Virginia, Virginia, Stanford, Boston College and Maryland. But he said neither his older brother's presence with the Cavaliers nor his father's ties with the Nittany Lions really were major factors.
Penn State will be converting Stupar to a linebacker.

"It just came down to what I thought was right for me,'' Stupar said. "It's just that it's 'Linebacker U.,' and there's that tradition.''
Stupar said he is ready to make the transition from the line and is looking forward to the challenge. Before that happens, though, he'd like to help the Little Lions take that next step, perhaps winning a district championship and maybe, just maybe, getting to Hershey.
State College came into the year with a fairly inexperienced team, but one that still had a lot of talent. That's come to the forefront in a 3-0 start in which the Lion defense has yet to allow a point.
"I feel our team is just starting to bloom,'' Stupar said. "The players are just starting to step up. We're going to have a great year.''
That would be a lot of fun for Stupar. As if he needed another reason

Photos courtesy of Mark Selders,

State College, PA