The offers came each day, much like routine coupons or bills delivered by the mailman. Practically each Division II or Division III college in Pennsylvania was hoping Lock Haven's Travis Forney would join its football program, either as a wide receiver or kicker.

Or both, if he wanted.

He was a star at several positions — kicker, punter, wide receiver and defensive back. He was all-state in 1994 and 1995. And as glittering as his numbers were on the field, they were just as impressive in the classroom.

He had earned a 4.0 grade-point average at Lock Haven High School and was ranked second in a class of 216. Always the diligent performer on the field and in the classroom, he even had perfect school attendance.

With an impressive record on and off the field, Forney likely would have become an impact player at a smaller program. But like thousands of other high-school athletes who dream of big-time college football stardom at a Division I program, he opted to walk on.

His choice: Penn State, where he would pay his own tuition, with hopes that he would make the team.

Before passage of Title IX in 1972, it seemed only the lack of ability could stand in the way of determined high-school football stars who wanted to prove they could make it at a Division I school.

But when federal law prohibited discrimination against women in all federally funded educational programs — which includes athletics — changes took place in colleges and universities nationwide.

Title IX came into existence because of a woman being denied a teaching position at the University of Maryland, but the primary focus of it since has dealt with athletics.

All about proportionality

There is a three-pronged test for Title IX: A college's willingness to improve athletic programs at the university; its history of providing opportunities to female athletes; and perhaps the most recognizable, the proportionality of male athletes to female athletes in relation to the make-up of the student body.

At Penn State, for example, the student body is 54 percent male and 46 percent female. The number of men and women competing in varsity sports must mirror those percentages or come within reasonable range of the totals, typically five percent or less.

While Title IX has opened doors for countless numbers of female athletes deserving of a chance to shine at the next level, it also has limited the number of roster spots at some schools for males looking to make it as a walk-on.

But Forney was one of the lucky ones who got to prove his mettle — and even one of the luckier ones who played a major role on his team.

"When I was growing up, all I ever heard was Penn State this, Penn State that," he said. "And as a boy, I remember them winning the national championship in 1987. It was the only place I had ever wanted to go, football or not. I was going to Penn State regardless.

"But I knew if I did play football there, there would always be the opportunity to have a chance to be No. 1, and that was a chance I wanted to have."

Going to many of the team's games at Beaver Stadium as a youth and into his teen-age years, Forney's academic path long had been steered toward State College.

"And if I had the opportunity to play football, it was a no-brainer," he said.

The same can be said for Mark Petitgout. When the Seaford High (Delaware) standout was ready to take the next step, the University of Delaware and James Madison University were ready to welcome him with open arms. Petitgout admits talks got serious with JMU, but they never materialized enough for him to change his mind about where he wanted to go to school.

"It was Penn State all the way," said the boy's father, George.

Unlike Forney, who had to try out to make the team, Petitgout came to Penn State in the fall of 1998 as a "recruited" walk-on, one of eight each year the football team usually welcomes. As Petitgout explained, a recruited walk-on is already on the team, just one without a scholarship.

"I already knew that I was on the team, so it wasn't a matter of trying out," said Petitgout, who came right after he was graduated from high school to begin training with the team.

"I figured I would have a good chance to earn a scholarship if I worked hard enough," he said.

Long Journeys

Both Forney and Petitgout embarked on journeys that hundreds of walk-ons throughout the country undertake each year. Three decades ago, the number of players colleges could take for their football team was limited only by budget — not the law.

In order to abide by the set percentages of Title IX, however, some schools now place roster caps on their programs. The caps are not required by the NCAA, but some institutions use caps as a way to stay in compliance with federal regulations.

While there are no NCAA limitations on the number of players who can be on a team, the NCAA does limit the number of scholarship athletes to 85.

At Penn State, there is no roster cap for football, though the roster is usually kept to around 125, said Athletic Director Tim Curley. Curley said he doesn't cap the roster of the football team because Coach Joe Paterno usually maintains the same number each season.

"They don't have a hard and fast number, but Joe tries to make sure we don't go too crazy," Curley said.

There are sports that are capped at Penn State, though, including golf, wrestling and lacrosse. Most schools follow similar guidelines. For example, the Big Ten is the only major conference in which all the schools have wrestling programs. But it also limits the team to 9.9 scholarships per.

And then, of course, there is the other option: cut men's programs entirely, or limit them to club-sport status. This has hurt men's gymnastics and wrestling programs across the board. And it is a big reason why Penn State's hockey program, the Icers, remains a club team.

Ohio State runs a system similar to Penn State. There is no player cap on either the football team or the basketball team, but some of the other Buckeye programs are targeted.

Andy Geiger, the Ohio State athletic director, said some of the smaller programs are easier to manage.

"With a sport like golf, the team only sends out so many players to participate in a tournament," he said. "That's an easy roster to manage, because it's not like the team would be getting walk-ons that shoot like Tiger Woods each and every time out."

At Northwestern, though, the athletic department chose to cap its football program at 105 players, according to Athletic Director Rick Taylor. The cap didn't hurt the Wildcats last season — the team finished 8-4 with a share of the Big Ten championship and a berth in the Alamo Bowl.

One conference program that may have taken a hit from a limitation of its walk-ons is Wisconsin. The Badgers back-to-back Big Ten titles and trips to the Rose Bowl were shouldered predominantly on the back and legs of running back Ron Dayne, who took his 1999 Heisman Trophy with him to the NFL's New York Giants for the 2000 season. Without him, it was a safe assumption that football coach Barry Alvarez and his team would have a bumpier road to Pasadena.

But aside from losing a star running back, Alvarez also was concerned about roster limitations. Before last year's Rose Bowl, he sent out about 35 letters to Wisconsin high school football players, asking if they would be interested in walking on at Madison in the fall.

But when there were reports internally that the program might have to keep its roster at 105 players, Alvarez immediately sent out a follow-up that indicated not everyone who tried out would make it with the Badgers.

"It was a bit awkward, yes," Alvarez said in a Big Ten coaches' conference call. "But at the same time I felt that I had to be fair to the kids we were interested in. I didn't want to mislead them."

As it turned out, the Badgers were able to keep the roster at 115, a typical number, according to Wisconsin Athletic Director Pat Richter.

"We have had a walk-on program that has been very successful here at Wisconsin, and there is no way we could have had as much success as we have had without some of our former walk-ons," he said.

Practice does make perfect

The University of Nebraska long has had a storied tradition of winning. Since 1969, the program has won at least nine games a season. The Cornhuskers opened a record run of 39 winning seasons — including last fall — in 1962.

One of the reasons the Cornhuskers have been so good — so consistent — for so long, is their unique walk-on system. Each year, the coaching staff recruits players from the state to come to the university, not offering scholarships, but instead offering the chance to suit up for the legendary Big 12 program.

"When you're growing up in the state of Nebraska, the only (Division I) college team you can root for in the area is the University of Nebraska," said Brian Washington, a defensive graduate assistant for the Cornhuskers. "For some, it would be a dream come true to be part of this program.

"We happen to have a lot of guys who would do anything to be part of the Nebraska program. It so happens that these guys are very talented football players. "They would rather walk on here than go play at a Division II or Division III school."

The majority of Nebraska's walk-on players don't just show up and ask for a jersey — most are recruited to walk on, and some even sign a letter of intent to play with the Cornhuskers. That, coupled with the 30 to 35 freshmen that show up in the summer, makes for an expansive program with many players eager to shine in the red and white.

To get closer to Title IX requirements, Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Byrne has added more sports on the women's side, much as other schools have in the past decade. Of all the schools in the Big 12, Nebraska currently fields the most women's programs.

One of Nebraska's best known recent walk-ons is Joel Makovicka, who played extensively for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals in 1999 and 2000, starting the majority of games at fullback. Makovicka wanted to be a Cornhusker, regardless of offers from other schools.

Makovicka followed his brother, Jeff, in becoming a Cornhusker. Jeff made the team as a walk-on in 1992, and, partially because of his success, the younger sibling Joel received offers from Division I schools. Still, Joel said he wanted to become a Cornhusker. He walked on, and earned a scholarship after 1995, his first year with the team.

"There was always this feeling when you're growing up in Nebraska that if you played good football and would always compete, you would get the chance to play in front of all those people in Lincoln," Makovicka said in a teleconference call from Tempe, Ariz.

That is what makes the walk-on program so appealing, according to Washington.

"With the knowledge of our coaching staff, if you're fortunate enough to get some playing time as a walk-on, you have a very excellent chance at earning a scholarship," he said.

"We usually take 25 who might see action in the games, but some years we've had anywhere from 50 to 75 who see action on the scout team and help out in practice."

Perhaps the greatest advantage of the walk-on program is not simply landing players like the Makovickas, who turn out to be stars. The dozens of other walk-ons often make terrific scout team players and help make practices spirited.

It's not glamorous.

There's the grueling hours of practice and the lonely time spent in the weight room, improving strength that may be useful only when pretending to be the opponent in an arena without fans. For all the glory that a few walk-ons get the opportunity to experience, there are countless who may grow tired of the thankless effort.

Tight Competition

A quarter-century ago, teams such as Nebraska and Southern Cal would stockpile scholarship athletes and dominate opponents. Scholarship limitations and, to an extent, Title IX helped bring about more parity in big-time college football.

Teams such as Virginia Tech and Oregon State have started to flex their muscles.

"Right now it's very competitive because you've gone down to 85 scholarships," Curley said. "The talent pool for top people is tight. You've got a lot of schools chasing those people.

"As for the parity element, I think it dates back 20 years. When the scholarship limit was gradually reduced, opportunities opened up for schools to improve quickly because other programs had fewer scholarship programs. I think we're seeing that now."

But even with the tighter competition, Curley said the opportunities to earn playing time as a walk-on — barring roster cap limitations — may be easier today then several years ago.

"In the old days you had 105 scholarships," he said. "It was probably a little harder then because you had 105 guys on scholarships. Now you have 85 scholarship athletes, and somebody that's non-scholarship is going to make the team. It's a little easier with the numbers now because of the limit of 85."

One of the reasons walk-ons may have to be limited in football and other men's programs is because of a lack of female walk-ons in their respective sports, which Northwestern's Taylor said seems to be a national trend.

"We see it in our intramural programs," he said. "Probably for every 10 guys that go out for something, we probably only have one girl."

The Trickle Down

Forty miles away from State College, Lock Haven football coach Mark Luther is preparing for a busy offseason of trying to convince players of the benefits of playing for his program.

The Bald Eagles may play two notches (Division II) below Penn State's opposition, but recruiting players for the program can be just as difficult. While the Nittany Lions and other football programs try to figure out how to utilize 85 scholarships, Lock Haven has but a dozen or so each season to fill an acceptable roster.

"Of the 30 to 35 guys a year that we recruit, we can only afford to give scholarships to 10 to 12," Luther said. "The rest have to make it as walk-ons."

Making it as a walk-on should still be fresh in the mind of Luther, who just finished his first season as Lock Haven's coach with a 3-8 record. A decade ago, Luther made the Penn State roster as a walk-on, playing two seasons (1990 and 1991) for the Lions. He now finds himself trying to go down a similar road.

"The thing I like about walk-ons is how hard they work," he said. "They bust their tails, knowing that they may not get any reward other than the satisfaction of playing football. Yet most still go out there and play as hard as they possibly can anyway."

And even though Luther's program and others like it leave the bidding for the stellar players up to the bigger schools, there's still strong competition for players, no matter what the level.

"There's always going to be guys that can play football," Luther said. "There are a lot of guys who never get a shot to play up in Division I, but there are plenty of opportunities elsewhere."

Just for kicks

Forney's first season at Penn State saw him backup regular place-kicker Brett Conway. He became one of only 14 Lions to see action as a true freshman in 1996, handling occasional kickoff duties as well as nailing three extra points against Northern Illinois, Temple and Indiana.

"With Brett, I never expected to supplant him as the starting kicker," Forney said. "I figured I would earn my stripes behind him and hope for the best my sophomore season."

The best would come for Forney in 1997, when he earned the nod as the Lions starting kicker. And he did well, connecting on 41 of 44 extra point attempts, and six of eight field goals, including a 47-yarder that helped Penn State to a 30-27 win against Northwestern.

Still paying his way (with his parents' help), Forney began to hear murmurs of a possible pending scholarship. He approached the chance at becoming a scholarship athlete with extreme caution, though.

"They've only got so many (scholarships) to go around," he said. "I'm not one to overappreciate the value of a kicker. I understood they had other needs that the scholarships would fill first. It was never about trying for a scholarship right away."

But by the end of his junior season, a scholarship slot opened up, and Forney was rewarded for his first three years of work by getting the next year-and-a-half of schooling courtesy of Penn State.

"It's another great thing about walk-ons," Wisconsin's Richter said. "They get the chance to earn a scholarship. When some of them do, it really makes for an amazing story."

As for Petitgout, a redshirted freshman season in 1998 led to his collegiate debut on Sept. 4, 1999, against Akron. The Nittany Lions, at the time considered a national championship contender, defeated the Zips 70-24.

"It was amazing, playing in front of that many people," he said in retrospect. "That had been the first real football game I played in 20 months. I didn't know how to feel going in."

But just months after seeing his first action, Petitgout had seen his last. By last January, he found his enthusiasm for the game waning.

"It was after the bowl game, we had just gotten back to the area," he said. "I began to ask myself if what I was going through was really worth it anymore. I felt like it was time for me to be a normal student."

Petitgout said he was adamant at first about quitting, but decided to go ahead with spring practices in hopes the flame would be rekindled.

It wouldn't.

"The political aspects where kind of frustrating," his father, George, said. "He might not have had the size to get to where he wanted to go on the field. I tried to talk him out of it, only because I wanted to make sure he was making the right decision.

"He's 20, he can think for himself. Just to be part of the team wasn't enough for him anymore. For any kid, it's a really tough way to go, trying to make it as a walk-on."

But Mark's leaving the game — for now — has been something that he is yet to look back on, he said.

"When something controls your life to that extent, it's time to sit back and reflect what is important and what should be important. It turned out football wasn't as important as it used to be."

While Petitgout's action on the field was limited to one game, and Forney's expanded to three full seasons as a starting kicker, both achieved their dreams of playing for the university they followed while growing up. That, Curley said, is what makes walk-ons such a heartwarming story.

"Every year, it's wonderful to watch the chemistry of some teams, in particular one that might rally around a walk-on," he said. "Someone who had always dreamed of playing at that university and wanted to just be part of team, even if it meant not getting a lot of playing time.

"That's part of what's neat about college athletics," Curley said. "The opportunity to understand how important every person is on the team. From that standpoint, I think it's a great lesson. I think it's a wonderful thing for people to understand the different roles that there are for a team or an organization to be successful. It may not be the star or the person that's getting all the accolades. It may be the guy or girl you never hear about. They really make the organization run. Walk-ons are one of the great things about college athletics."