COLUMN: Staffieri provides inspiration

The voice, energetically raspy, is unmistakable. So are the clothes, a patchwork of red and blue plaid. And the sayings. And, of course the helmet-mobile. Less recognizable is the man. Lake wouldn't have it any other way. Dan Staffieri, "Staffieri as in Lake Erie -- they call me Lake," Penn football's volunteer assistant running backs coach and full-time motivator, prefers to put the focus on the team. If you're reading this in print, there's a good chance you've already seen Lake today. Whenever the Penn football team has a home game, Lake does his thing. Standing on the face-mask platform of the Quakers helmet-mobile, 78-year-old Lake covers campus trying to drum up support. Lake and his bullhorn seem to know no boundaries, driving up and down Locust Walk, disembarking to wander through dining halls and dormitories encouraging everyone to go to the game. "That's hysterical," Penn co-captain Jim Hisgen said. "People who don't know him may not understand but it's funny just to see an old man riding around talking to people." But to those on the team, Lake is so much more than the comical old guy in plaid who rides around in the larger-than-life helmet. When the Quakers come charging out of the tunnel and onto the turf of historic Franklin Field tomorrow night just before kickoff, Lake will be the last one they see. He'll be slapping them low fives and giving them one of his motivational cheers. "Do better than your best, do better than your best." He's at every practice, roaming the field, motivating the troops. Slapping them on the rear, always encouraging. "P and G, pepper and go. Andiamo, andiamo! C and D -- concentration and determination. C'mon now, c'mon now. Do better than your best." Each week, he posts close to 30 new motivational slogans in the locker room. Every day, he wears a new strip of white athletic tape -- one motivational word scrawled across it -- on his forehead. Yesterday it said "win." Wednesday it said "hit." At the end of every season, Lake unveils the next year's key motivational phrase at the football banquet. We need one in '81. Breakin' through in '82. Toe the line in '99. Before every game, usually on Thursday or Friday night, Lake leads the team through a motivational "breakdown." "We say, 'Penn Pride. [pause] Best. I-V-Y champs. [pause] We'll toe the line [pause] in '99. [pause] Do better than your [pause] best.' "These four things are communicated between the players and everybody's saying the same thing. Either one word or one number, with 100 people on the squad doing it all at once. It's not just one person -- it won't work that way." Everything Lake does can be summed up under the banner "Speed of Corps." Needless to say, "Speed of Corps" is not easily definable. "I can't define the mind. It's heart and soul that says, 'I can, I must, I will,'" Lake said. "We -- very important -- will get the job done. Regardless of the I." According to Lake, "Speed of Corps" is a carryover from his days in the Marines. After World War II ended, he attended Maryland, where he played guard and linebacker. His senior season, the Terps beat Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day and were crowned national champs. While some may wax nostalgic about the good old days of "iron-man football," Lake -- trying to avoid discussing himself while focusing on the team -- certainly does not. "Today, I like it better than ever with the two-platoon system, because you can get more people into the game." He is loved. He has been invited to countless weddings. His calendar is booked solid with appearances. "I average about 35 [events] -- not all speaking engagements -- a year, which would include luncheons, banquets, high school pep rallies and high school banquets. And I go there for one reason -- to represent Penn and to recommend [Penn to] the honorees. That's very important. It's not for me -- I don't do it because of me. I do it because of the program at Penn and the players. Most importantly the players." Former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, president of the Maxwell Club, frequently calls Lake to have him give his "breakdowns" to the club members. Two years ago, then-University Trustee George Weiss endowed $500,000 in Lake's name to benefit student-athletes at Penn. But the best part about the story is that Weiss, speaking at a football reunion during Homecoming, announced the endowment wearing a strip of athletic tape across his forehead. What did the tape say? "Lake." But Lake hates to dwell on himself, wanting more articles on the team. "We have a defensive front that we call the ferocious front. Mike Germino is the posse leader, with [Adrian] Puzio, [Brian] Person and [Jason] Maehr. The ferocious front. That's what I think these guys are and they deserve all the credit they can get." As an outsider, it's easy to misjudge Dan Staffieri. At first glance, he looks out of place, an old man with a bullhorn, all "How you doing?"s and "Oh very well"s. On game day, the near-octogenarian in the plaid suit wanders the sidelines cheering; to the fans he appears out of place, a throw-back to an era of single-wings and leather helmets, time-warped to an age of electronic scoreboards, artificial turf and $3 souvenir Diet Cokes. But he is an essential part of the Penn football team and has been since 1977. His "Speed of Corps" has been the one constant through the Quakers' recent Ivy League dominance, their nine Ivy titles in 17 years. Through five coaches, 22 years and 117 victories, Lake has been on the sidelines. He was there when Penn last played Villanova in '80 and he'll be there tomorrow night when the Quakers and Wildcats renew their rivalry. "I love him," Hisgen said. "It's nice to see a guy with so much spirit. He's so happy. During the middle of the season, when you're dragging, he tries to cheer you up. And that makes everybody happier and we practice better." Lake humbly admits that it is through the players that he has acquired his nine championship rings, which he displays proudly, four at a time. When recruits come, he holds up the rings and says, "This is what it's all about." Tomorrow night, after all the breakdowns have been uttered in unison, after the helmet-mobile has been put in park and all the hands have been slapped, Lake will emerge from the tunnel after the team. He'll take to the sidelines in his red and blue plaid, ready to cheer the Quakers to victory for a full four quarters. And Lake, of course, will be doing better than his best.

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