Gasparato to join Lions' secondary

By Brent Seberhagen
Collegian Staff Writer

To the delight of many Penn State fans, an announcement was made on Dec. 21.

"I'm committed to Penn State."

Meet Michael Gasparato — a fantastic fisherman and an even better football player. Gasparato is Penn State's latest blue-chip recruit in the now 27-member Class of 2004. Mike comes by way of Dutch Fork High School in Columbia, S.C.

He picked Penn State in favor of in-state finalists Clemson, South Carolina and a host of other scholarship offers, including Michigan State, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Kansas State.

"When I was a little kid, I definitely wanted to play for Penn State," Gasparato said.

And as a kid, Mike's favorite player was former Nittany Lions running back Blair Thomas. He has worn No. 32 for as long as he can remember.

If the name Gasparato sounds vaguely familiar, it should. Thirteen years ago, Gasparato's father, Nick, graced the Penn State sidelines as offensive line coach in that magical season of 1986. Football in Happy Valley hasn't reached the same pinnacle since.

Now, it's 13 long years later and Penn State fans find themselves almost giddy, wondering if lightning can strike twice.

And the spirit of 1986 returns in the form of a ghost — a friendly ghost, that is.

"I had a nickname when I first came down here (to South Carolina)," Gasparato joked. "I was the fastest white kid some of these guys had seen, so they started calling me 'the ghost.' "

"Gaspar the Friendly Ghost," perhaps?

Reports of Gasparato's speed ring true. A unique physical specimen, Gasparato combines his double take 4.45 40-yard speed with the strength of a linebacker. He stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs in at 205 pounds. He bench presses 380 pounds — 30 more than LaVar Arrington lifted while attending North Hills, according to USA Today.

While Gasparato is a versatile athlete, don't expect him to replace LaVar's vacated position at outside linebacker. He's likely to settle in at running back, safety or wide receiver.

"I'd like to play running back at Penn State," Gasparato said. "And the reason why I think I could contribute at Penn State is because I can catch the ball out of the backfield very well."

Catching the ball "very well" is an understatement, and typical of Gasparato's modest disposition. In his sophomore season alone, Mike set the South Carolina season reception record with 99 grabs. (It didn't hurt that his father was the offensive coordinator). Gasparato went on to explain the value of a tailback with pass-catching abilities.

"You motion out the running back as a flanker, and it pulls out the defense, and you can do a lot of different things from there," Gasparato said.

The younger Gasparato could, down the line, combine with another pair of sound hands in the backfield. Sophomore fullback R.J. Luke set the career receptions record in Illinois with 196 at Waubonsie Valley High School in suburban Chicago.

On paper, the tandem could be considered among the most multi-dimensional backfields in the Big Ten, if not the entire nation. And to the relief of Penn State fans, Gasparato anticipates the staff running an offense capable of capturing his multiple abilities.

"I wouldn't be surprised at all if Penn State opens their offense a lot next year," Gasparato said. "And in the future also because here the game has changed so much, you can't just rely on the 'I' (formation) anymore or run the football like that . . . I'm not just saying that, I've been told that by many of the coaches that they would like to open up."

But aside from receiving skills, Gasparato described his style of running.

"I can bring both (power and finesse)," Gasparato said. "I can hit it up in there, I like to be a physical back as much as I can. But I can also make the moves and make people miss, and get into the open field and use my speed to out-run people."

Enough speed, power and moves, that is, to account for more than 7,000 yards of total offense in his three years at Dutch Fork High School, including a whopping 92 career touchdowns.

"I think the most impressive statistic," Nick Gasparato said, "is he averaged over three seasons almost 210 yards a game total offense."

But whether Nick's son catches the ball, runs the ball or defends against the ball, he has shown the ability to succeed given virtually any situation.

Gasparato was named all-state at wide receiver as a sophomore, all-state at running back as a junior, and after his senior season the voters finally caught on and named him all-state as an all-purpose offensive player. He's also been named an All-American by several recruiting services. The State newspaper tabbed him as South Carolina's No. 1 overall football prospect.

He's fully qualified, carrying higher than a 3.0 grade-point average and scoring more than 1,000 on the SAT.

"We're proud because he's kind of kept his head on straight," Nick Gasparato said. "He's humbled by the honors and accolades. He's worked very hard in the classroom. So we're very proud of him."

Many are familiar with Gasparato's dominating persona on the field, but few really know the man beneath the pads.

"Off the field, I'm just one of the guys, laid back," he said.

"If you did know me, you probably wouldn't guess how laid back I am. I guess most athletes get the dumb-jock rip every once in a while, but I like doing different things. Chess is one of my favorite things and you probably couldn't tell by talking to me. I'm not a real big go-out party guy, I'm more laid back."

Gasparato mentioned how many valuable minutes the recruiting process has robbed from the important people in his life, noting that his friends make sure he never gets "a big head." He said the most difficult transition would be moving away from his friends, family and girlfriend. But he said he had to make the decision, for his future, to attend Penn State.

Gasparato and his father, who is as genuine a man as one can be, share a storybook relationship. Cultivated in the early '80s when Nick was on the Penn State football staff, he and his son grew up close.

"When he was a little kid there at Penn State, I used to take him over to Stone Valley, and that was the first lake we ever fished in," Nick said. "We'd go over to Stone Valley there after spring practices, and I'd fly up over the mountain and then down so we could catch an hour of daylight, and we'd fish over there and that's where he really started fishing."

The two Gasparatos have fished together ever since. Only now, they go after bigger fish, like the Spanish mackerel, barracuda and even shark.

But Gasparato still has more ties to Penn State.

-- Quite familiar with the man who recruited him, Gasparato owes a deep gratitude to Penn State offensive coordinator Fran Ganter. It was 1981, and Gasparato's mother was pregnant with him. She joined her husband Nick on Penn State's trip to the Fiesta Bowl against Southern California. And it was in the middle of the night when Gasparato decided it was time to enter the world.

"Fran Ganter took us to the hospital," Nick said. "We were in the room next door, and when my wife went into labor, Franny (Ganter) drove the car to the Scottsdale Hospital in the middle of the night when he was born.

"He was the first bowl baby ever born on a bowl trip."

-- The 1986 Fiesta Bowl victory against Miami for the national championship was "definitely" Gasparato's fondest memory as a kid.

"That was just overwhelming," he said. "I was just 6 years old and that whole week I can still remember. That's amazing when you think about it, 6 years old, but seeing my dad win a national championship and being around those guys, that was a great childhood memory."

It seems Gasparato will fit in at Penn State just fine.