Larry Sr. & Tony reflect

The Johnson family affair is almost over.

Saturday was the last time Penn State tailback Larry Johnson, his brother Tony, the Nittany Lions wide receiver, and their father Larry Sr., the defensive line coach, will all be on the Beaver Stadium sideline together, and the bowl game the Penn State football team goes to will likely be the last time all three can call themselves teammates with Larry Jr.'s senior year coming to a close.

No matter what the outcome of Saturday's game was, it was going to be a special day for the family. Larry Sr. spent the whole day fighting back tears, and Tony broke down before the game even started.

Those two know what's behind the reserved running back, who is extremely quiet, and says he plays with anger. They could tell you about the nights he spent in his room by himself watching film, but also about the family weddings he went to as a kid when he did his best Michael Jackson impression on the dance floor, and as Larry Sr. said, 'turned the place out.'

The Johnson brothers are State College Area H.S. graduates. They played together when Larry was a senior there and they have never been separated, with this being their third year together at Penn State. Though Tony often makes jokes about his brother's aloofness, and plays off his brother's serious demeanor with light-hearted jokes, he realized Saturday how much he would miss him. After Johnson was announced with the seniors, the two embraced while Tony cried openly.

"I basically told him this is the last time we're going to play together," he said. "It was kind of emotional. When we hugged you could feel the brotherly love."

"It's been something special that you can't take away from me or him. It's kind of sad because I know he's going to leave. It's something I'll probably cherish for the rest of my life."

Nothing was needed to make the day more extraordinary for the Johnsons, but Larry Jr. provided it anyway with his 279-yard rushing day which pushed him over the 2,000 yard mark for the season. The 38-yard touchdown run gave him a chance to celebrate the record, first with the teammates that followed him into the end zone, then when he met with his brother as the two were going to the sidelines, then his father.

"I just said 'I love you, you did a great job,' " Larry Sr. said. "At that moment, it's just father-son talking. It's a special moment. I was trying very hard to hold back the tears because I knew somebody would be taking a picture.

"Larry was excited, you could see the excitement in his eyes. But again, it was all new to him. Sometimes when you do something new, you don't know how to react. You just walk of the field same as [you are], but you could see in his eyes that he was really excited."

Johnson will likely find himself playing in the NFL somewhere next Fall, but no matter what he does on the next level, he may never be able to reproduce a moment like the ones he created this season.

"It's been special, as a father it's been really special to have a chance to see it," Larry Sr. said. "It's a blessing to be able to stand on the sidelines and see my son see do the things he's done this year. It's been really neat, it really has. I can't put it in words from the heart because you'd have to be standing here feeling what I'm feeling, while those things are going on."