Correction appended
Evan Royster's three older brothers may have all been football players, but it's his father, Ted, who takes credit for his youngest son's athletic success.
One day about 19 years ago Ted's wife, Dawna, was out of town on a trip and his three older sons were all rollerblading.
Taking initiative, Ted bought rollerblades for Evan, who was "just 2 or 3" at the time.
Predictably, Dawna came home shocked to see that her infant son had mastered a new craft.
"What have you done to my son?" she said to her husband.
"I take personal credit for getting Evan started," Ted now jokes. "He's been athletically inclined ever since."
That meant following his older brothers -- Ted Jr., now 30, Brandon, 27, and Kyle, 25 -- in whatever they did.
All three played football at Westfield High School in Virginia, where the family moved when Evan was just a third-grader.
From there, Brandon took his talents to Stanford, where he also ran track.
Because of the age difference, it was up to Brandon and Ted Jr. to guide the younger Evan through his athletic endeavors growing up.
As for the competition?
That came from Kyle, three years his elder.
Kyle also played high school lacrosse, a sport that opened up more avenues for Evan in case he decided to give up the shoulder pads.
But his father could tell even at a young age that Evan's future was on the gridiron.
Whether growing up tossing the pigskin with his dad in a vacant lot next to his Texas home or playing flag football at the ripe age of 6, Evan loved to be around the game.
"He wanted to get out there and hit somebody," Ted Sr. laughed about Evan's first flag football game. "He had seen his older brothers playing tackle, so Evan wasn't too happy. He wanted to tackle."
He got that chance at Westfield, where, in addition to rushing for 6,384 yards and 90 touchdowns over four years, he played linebacker and some safety.
His father's summation of his high school career is modest.
"Not trying to brag, but it was like, 'Evan left. Evan right. Evan up the middle,' because he did so much," said Ted Sr., who himself ran track and played basketball in high school.
"He's always been versatile in both lacrosse and football. In high school his team really depended on his productivity beyond running."
That has been the case at Penn State this season, as Royster has seen action as both a wide receiver and a punt returner in addition to his duties as the Nittany Lions' leading rusher.
Last Saturday he ran for 138 yards and a touchdown just a day after nursing a 102-degree fever.
"That whole first quarter my legs felt tired," Royster said afterward.
"I felt like I was kind of dragging a little bit."
Instead, he used his multi-sport instincts to wait for his young offensive line's blocks to develop and then attacked.
His father said it's from lacrosse -- which drew Evan interest from national powers like Johns Hopkins and Virginia -- that his son developed such patience on the field.
"You need the ability to find openings, maintain balance, change up speed and pace," Ted Sr. said.
"You need patience. In lacrosse you're constantly passing and looking for an opening. He conveys that to football -- being patient, following blockers."
Royster's bodyguards up front surely appreciate those traits.
"He has great vision. He can see the blocks, he'll wait for the crease and once he sees it, he's gone," left tackle Dennis Landolt said. "Having a back like that, it's hard to find.
"The guy that's got the measure of patience that he has and also explosiveness coming once he finds the hole just helps tremendously."
And it's that same explosiveness that has carried Royster to the 17th-most rushing yards in Penn State history with another full year of eligibility remaining after this season should he choose to remain at the college level.
It's also what reminds Ted Sr. of something Penn State offensive coordinator and running backs coach Galen Hall always tells his son:
"My job is to get you to the line of scrimmage. Beyond that, you're on your own."
An article "RB Royster continues family's athletic tradition" on page 10 of Saturday's Collegian Stadium Magazine incorrectly stated information about Evan Royster's brothers' high school football history. All three played football for coach Tom Verbanic and did not all play football at Westfield High School.
