Jenny Purvis has roots to Penn State that date back longer than those of Joe Paterno.
Purvis -- a junior forward for the Penn State field hockey team -- has played in each of team's games this season and has been a versatile player since she became a Nittany Lion
But her story doesn't start there.
Bob Parsons, her grandfather, was a member of the track and field and cross country teams from 1949-51 -- starting one year before Paterno joined the football coaching staff as an assistant. Six decades later, Paterno is still on the sidelines and Parson's granddaughter is continuing the family's tradition of Penn State athletics.
Purvis' grandmother began the field hockey trend when she played at the University of Pennsylvania from 1945-47. Her daughters -- Jenny's mother and aunt -- followed in her footsteps and both went to Penn State to play.
Jenny's mother, Sue Purvis, played from 1977-79 and was a teammate of someone very familiar to the current Lions: head coach Char Morett.
As the captain of the Lions' undefeated 1978 team, Morett can see similarities between her former teammate and the current player.
"Jenny is a very hard worker, and so was her mother," Morett said. "She has a never-give-up attitude and she does play with passion."
Those were the characteristics Morett knew she'd get from Purvis when she began recruiting her. She believed Purvis -- whose father, Ed, and uncle, Bill, both played soccer at Temple -- would be a player who understood the commitment it takes to play in college.
When Jenny was just four years old, Morett had her first opportunity to meet her future player. Sue Purvis, a former coach herself, attended a camp Morett held in Philadelphia to learn some drills and plays. Morett said she recalls seeing the young Purvis running around with a field hockey stick at her camp.
With her mother being a coach at a local high school, Purvis was introduced to the sport at a young age.
"When I was about five years old, I would go and watch her games and practices because I actually went to kindergarten right nearby," Purvis said. "Just seeing the game played and the love those girls had for the game then was real cool, so I think that jumpstarted it."
From the time Purvis was little, her mother said she was in love with Penn State. When the family came to University Park for football games, Jenny would be enthralled by everything. She believed Jenny was born with "Penn State blood."
Despite Jenny's affection for the school and enthusiasm for field hockey, Purvis' mother did not try to push her to play as a Lion. As a former player, her mother knew there were ups and downs in college sports and Jenny would have to choose if she wanted to continue to play field hockey.
"Being on any Division I sports team is so much work that Jenny had to make that decision herself," Sue said. "She knew my love and desire and passion for the university, but I knew it was going to have to be her decision."
Purvis didn't need any nudges from her mother to realize she wanted to continue her athletic career into college. However, having also been a standout lacrosse player in high school, Purvis had to make a decision on what her future would include. In the end, the opportunity to play field hockey for the Lions was tough to turn down, Purvis said, and though she loved lacrosse, field hockey was the sport for her.
Watching Purvis interact with her teammates, it is evident she made the right decision.
Just before the Lions' Oct. 2 game against Ohio State, the team jogged from the bench towards the stands. Purvis cupped her hands around her mouth and -- along with her teammates -- yelled "We Are!" to the blue and white clad fans. The response of "Penn State!" was greeted by Purvis' wide smile as she touched the sideline and jogged alongside her teammates back to the bench while tossing her hands in the air.
That smile showed the satisfaction Purvis has being a part of the Penn State community. She understands the duty of being a student-athlete and has been rewarded for it. The Kinesiology major was named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad in each of her first two seasons as a Lion, and she was also a member of the 2008 Academic All-Big Ten team.
The responsibility of balancing sports and academics is something Purvis has been used to her entire life. Although she comes from a huge sports family, she said being late or skipping school was not an option when she was younger. Purvis said it's been instilled in her that academics are a major part of her eventual success in life.
Purvis hasn't been alone in her athletic and academic pursuits. When her mom made the trip to Morett's camp years ago, Jenny's little sister, Lauren, was along for the ride. Lauren, currently a senior in high school, has committed to play both field hockey and lacrosse at Penn State.
Their mother said -- though it's rare -- even when they were young, her daughters never fought with each other. She said that remains the same to this day and they have always gotten along.
When her sister joins the team next year, it will mark the second time Jenny will be able to play alongside Lauren. As a senior in high school, Purvis remembered jokingly arguing with Lauren, then a freshman, on the field when she wouldn't follow instructions. However, once they were off the field, the sister's were back to being best friends.
It was that friendship combined with the chemistry her daughters had on the field that helped lead Hatboro-Horsham High School to the state quarterfinals when Jenny was a senior.
"It was a true delight for both of us as parents to be able to watch both of them play together and to watch the way they interacted and passed and communicated with each other," Sue said. "At that time, I think Lauren was even the leading scorer as a freshman, but a lot of those goals were set up by her sister."
During the Lions' games, parents and fans not only cheer for their team, but many also try to yell advice to the players as the game is in progress. Sue Purvis is one of the rare parents who has been in those situations on the field -- giving her the ability to relate to the players.
However, the ex-coach doesn't try to coach her daughters while watching from the stands. She said they know the game well enough that they don't need her advice and admitted the game has changed so much since she played that she would be the one getting pointers.
Sue Purvis will leave the coaching tasks to her ex-teammate while she and her husband enjoy the games from the stands. They realize the rare chance they have to watch both of their daughters playing the sport together.
"We consider ourselves very lucky to see them play side by side," Sue said. "First, in high school and now the opportunity to do it again at the collegiate level."
