Joe Battista couldn't believe his parents let him out of the house looking like that. But that's when the Afro was in style.

Back then, the late 1970's, Battista and his Penn State hockey teammates practiced on an outdoor rink. So he figured the more hair he had, the warmer he would be. Walking around campus, Battista was only 5-foot-11, but by the time he suited up to play hockey he was 6-foot-4 (add two inches for his skates and three inches for his fro.) He laughs.

Battista sits and talks about his life as a Penn Stater in a Pizza Hut in Windsor, Ontario, after his team, the Penn State Div. I Icers, less than an hour earlier finished sweeping a two-game set against the defending Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association champions, Saint Clair College. This scene, a team bonding with family and friends after a game (win or lose), is indicative of the way Battista's teams have been over the years. Years that have blessed Battista with a fulfilling life.

Battista bleeds blue-and-white, and as undergraduate student he helped Penn State to two National Tittles, and was team captain and MVP during his senior year, 1982.

His coaching resume makes some former U.S presidents look like interns. As a coach he came into this season with a winning percentage of .808, six ACHA National Titles, and zero losing seasons, just to name a few accolades. How many coaches can say that? Very few probably.

But you'll never hear Battista boast about his achievements.

If he won't, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame will. Battista was one of 10 new members inducted into the East Boro's chapter of the Hall last Thursday evening. It was a sentimental-filled evening for the coach who's just entered his 18th season at the helm of the Icers. "It was a much bigger deal than I was anticipating," Battista said. There were family, friends, colleagues and people who Battista hadn't seen in years.

While dining with his team at Pizza Hut, Battista reflected back on the time when he took over as the Icers head coach in 1987. The team was in a rebuilding stage when Battista came back on the scene.

"When I got hired, it was with the understanding that I was to clean up the program which had gotten a little out of control," Battista said. "We had fallen on some hard times."

After winning a couple championships in the early 80's, the Icers regressed a bit due to an academic drop-off and sporadic fights that broke out. Battista figured that it would take about five to seven years to turn the program around, but it only took three before he won his first national title as a coach.

Battista was ahead of schedule.

He credits the 1989 team, which won the ACHA championship for the first time, as the turning point for the program. "That's when everybody was back and interested in hockey at Penn State," Battista said.

But if you've ever heard him talk -- and you could be outside of a building that he was in and still hear him -- you'd learn more about the people in his life that have helped him to get to where he is, before you would learn about Battista. He has always put his family, players, and more importantly Penn State, before his credentials. "What's really special to me is the relationships that we've had with the parents and players over the years and the success that so many of them have gone on to have," Battista said.

Success that is largely due to the education that the players have received here at Penn State, which Battista stresses heavily. The Icers have done so well in the classroom that their overall team GPA has been above a 3.0 for 18 out of the last 19 semesters. Mainly because an academic program that was established for the players three years after Battista became head coach.

You'll often hear him brag about former players who have gone on to have successful careers with companies like Merrill Lynch, MBNA and American Express, those who have gone on to earn Ph.D's and work at law firms. This is where Battista truly reaps the benefit of his coaching labor. "In the end, that's what it's all about," Battista said.

During Battista's tenure as coach, much controversy has been made about the issue of the Icers not being an NCAA Division I-hockey team. But you can't convince Battista that his organization isn't qualified as the latter. He feels he does indeed coach an NCAA team, only without the official title. And the way the Icers go about handling its business certainly reflects this belief.

"We've tried to run this program as much like a Division I program as we can, just without the scholarships," Battista said.

"What I'm proud of mostly is that we do it predominantly with volunteers ... we call ourselves the Icers family for a reason," he said.

A family indeed. The coach often praises his Hockey Management Association, which is a group of students (who aren't paid) who do marketing for the team, put programs together and a plethora of other things that the University pays most people to do. So when the coach says he's truly grateful to those people who have lent a helping hand along the way, he means it.

As for the Icers status as a legit D-I program, there are a lot of factors that come with the territory, much having to do with facilities.

"At the time The Bryce Jordan Center was built, there were not enough people who championed hockey and skating shows," Battista has said in the past. "But the game of hockey has changed."

Battista hasn't, though.

He still the same guy who, during the summer, can be seen running six weeks of hockey camp. The same guy who can be found leaving the sports complex after a long week in which he put in 70-80 hours along with his staff.

"But it's a labor a love," as Battista puts it.

And why wouldn't it be for Battista, Penn State has been good to him and he'd be remiss not to acknowledge his family as well. He met his wife through Penn State hockey and is raising three children right here in Happy Valley. Battista has great love for his father, who was a baseball coach and taught Battista the principle that defense wins championships. That might explain why Battista rejoices when he sees one of his Icer defenseman lay down in front a slap shot to prevent a potential goal. Or when a player clears the puck out of the zone knowing he is going to be hit hard by an opposing defender, but sells himself out for the team, anyway.

Finally, Battista doesn't forget to acknowledge Section E at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion, the student section. "The fans are amazing here, they really make it fun," Battista said. And because of the loyalty of the Icers fans, Battista would love to repay them someday.

"Before I go, I'd love to see a new arena built here, and whether or not Div. I hockey is in that picture, that a decision for other people to make," Battista said.

"I still feel like I've got a lot of work to do, though."

If a coach whose won four championships out of the last five years feels there is plenty of work left unfinished, it would interesting to find out what mediocre coaches are thinking.

Just a thought.

The Afro may have dwindled away, and practice might have moved indoors, but one thing remains intact.

Coach Battista is no average Joe.