Ron Pavlechko is sitting in his first-floor office at State College Area H.S. when a student bursts in toting a pink hallway pass. The student, a member of the school's wrestling team, has been arguing with a substitute teacher about leaving class to weigh himself for an upcoming match and wants to plead his case to the school's athletic director.

"Mike, where do you belong?" asks Pavlechko in a calm yet stern voice, choosing his words carefully.

After patiently listening to more protests and gripes from the student and holding an impromptu conference in the hallway, the would-be crisis is averted.

"The high school athlete of today," Pavlechko remarks, shaking his head as he takes a seat behind his desk.

Pavlechko, 53, has seen plenty of high school athletes in his 32 years at State College High. He's been an English teacher and a football coach, and for the last seven years he's overseen the school district's 44 athletic teams, each of which has its yearly schedules mapped out in green and orange ink on a massive eight-foot long dry erase board that hangs in Pavlechko's office.

It's clear that athletics have played a large part in Pavlechko's life, particularly football -- behind his desk hangs a framed picture of State College's Memorial Field and the sidelines that he stalked for 25 years, first as an assistant and then as head coach. Under Pavlechko, the Little Lions became a state-recognized football power, winning four PIAA District VI championships and clawing their way to two undefeated seasons in the 1970s and '80s.

Pavlechko has been shaping the lives of student-athletes for decades now: Among his distinguished students are former Penn State quarterbacks Mike McQueary and Jay Paterno (currently the Nittany Lions' quarterback coach), the Suhey brothers (Matt, Larry and Paul), and Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley.

Pavlechko's connections to Penn State run even deeper. From 1967 to 1970, he was a guard with the Lions, who were twice undefeated and won two Orange Bowls under a young coach named Joe Paterno. Pavlechko was a part of Paterno's second recruiting class and was a teammate of former Lions' stars Franco Harris, Jack Ham, Lydell Mitchell and current Penn State assistant head coach Fran Ganter.

"He was just a steady, hard-nosed player who made few mistakes," says Ganter, who was a member of Pavlechko's class. "I always picture him with blood running down his face. He was tough."

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds in his playing days, Pavlechko is a large man, but hardly a behemoth like the offensive linemen of today. He speaks quietly and fondly of coming to Happy Valley from Youngstown, Ohio, and he tells tales about a much tougher Paterno than the huggable 76-year old the Penn State student body knows today.

"I think Joe's loosened up a bit," Pavlechko says with a slight smile. "Back then, we were not supposed to wear our gray practice T-shirts out to class. Nobody had facial hair. Joe was in control of everything."

Pavlechko met and married his wife Barb while an undergrad at Penn State -- 36 years ago, according to Pavlechko's quick math on a piece of scrap paper -- and they've been members of the community ever since.

In the three decades that Pavlechko has been with the Little Lions, his school has been a virtual training ground for future collegiate athletes, particularly Nittany Lions. In the 2002-03 academic year, 26 State College High alumni were members of 10 different sports at Penn State. Coaches have found a multitude of well-taught, well-coached athletes ripe for the picking just two minutes from the University Park campus.

"I don't think we've ever had a kid from State College that's been a disappointment," says Ganter, who's had two sons come through the Little Lions' football program and has two more sons currently enrolled at the school. "They're real solid academically, and real solid players. You know what you're getting from a State College kid."

Pavlechko says that there are both advantages and disadvantages for his student-athletes because of their proximity to a Div. I school, and he's heard both arguments.

"It's easy for Penn State coaches to read the newspaper or attend events here with their own children," Pavlechko says. "Our athletes are friends with their kids, and sometimes they just kind of slide into Penn State."

However, he notes exceptions like State College senior Jon Stupar, picked by many observers as one of the top high school tight ends in the nation. On National Letter of Intent Day last month, Stupar chose to play at Virginia rather than with the hometown Lions.

"Over the years some have also said that [Penn State coaches] are too critical of the athletes here or know too much about them," Pavlechko says. "I've heard both sides of the story."

While Pavlechko plays only a minor role in his athletes' college decisions, he still has his work cut out for him. As athletic director, Pavlechko has a hand in everything from eligibility to publicity, from maintaining the facilities to overseeing the teams' booster clubs -- much more than just the X's and O's of coaching football.

"I absolutely credit Ron for the outstanding organization of our athletic programs," State College High principal Craig Butler said. "He's a very positive leader for our athletes."

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Pavlechko's switch from the sidelines to the office in 1997 came not because he'd grown tired of the game, but rather because of a life-changing event: In the summer before that football season, Pavlechko suffered a heart attack.

"Lying around the hospital room I had time to think," Pavlechko says. "I never had a burning desire to get into administration, but I came out of that hospital and I wanted to live."

With then-athletic director Tom Wallace planning to retire, Pavlechko says he knew the opportunity to move into the position at State College wouldn't come up again anytime soon. He decided to take a chance on the other side and leave the sport he'd known for so long.

"I'm glad he left coaching on his terms," says his son Tim, who, like his father, is senior associate athletic director at Bucknell University. "When you look back on all the lives he had impact on and what he did for the State College program ... He opted to stay in athletics and be an educator, and help the kids in State College High School. That's important to him.

"I respect him for what he chose," Tim says. "I know how much he loves coaching, but this has been a different challenge."

One of the biggest challenges he faces, Pavlechko says, is dealing with the heavy expectations placed on the student-athletes that come through his door.

"Today it takes more thought than putting on your shoes, your shirt, and going to practice," Pavlechko says. "Now, it's 'how does this affect my college career?' Thirty years ago you saw kids go out and play and let the chips fall where they may. You'd work hard, and if you got into school, great. Now, it's 'here's the plan and you better follow it.' "

Still, given the higher level of expectations and the tough choices they face -- whether it's picking a college or deciding to skip class -- Pavlechko says he's happy to do his part in pointing his athletes down the right path.

"Maybe it takes the spontinaety out of being a kid in high school," Pavlechko says, "but today things are different. Kids just need help navigating their way through those expectations."