Steve Schickram has made a name for himself at both fullback and nose guard. Penn sprint football player Steve Schickram is known for his play at both nose guard and fullback. But, according to his coaches, his skills are certainly not limited to those two spots. "He could play anywhere on the offensive or defensive lines," Penn coach Bill Wagner said. "He's a very talented individual." Hailing from the small Pennsylvania coal-mining town of Tamaqua, Schickram spent his freshman year at the Air Force Academy, where he played left field for the Falcons' baseball team. Homesick, Schickram decided to transfer to a school closer to home. After applying to Lehigh, Schickram inquired about lightweight football there. He was told that Lehigh did not field a team and that Penn was the closest school with a program. Schickram met with Wagner several times and eventually settled on the Quakers. "Everybody who plays [lightweight football] plays it because they love the sport," Schickram said. That was three years ago, and Schickram has been a starter ever since. During his first season, he started at nose guard and earned all-conference honorable mention honors for the season as well as a defensive player of the week award. Injuries at the fullback position last year forced Wagner to put Schickram in at fullback in addition to his defensive duties. The move paid off as Schickram scored a touchdown on an eight-yard scamper in the final game against Princeton. With no fullbacks returning from last season, Schickram has continued to see time on both sides of the football, although he is still used primarily on defense. According to Wagner, Schickram should see more time at fullback this weekend against Navy. But which position does Schickram like more, fullback or nose guard? "I get more time at nose guard [than fullback]," Schickram said. "I'm pretty big for this league." Schickram seems to prefer the fullback position, characterizing it as a "full-speed sprint to hit someone." An added benefit of the job is getting to lead block for fellow co-captain Tim Ortman, the best running back in Penn history. "But I also like sacking quarterbacks," Schickram added. In limited action at fullback last year, Schickram rushed for 70 yards on 12 carries and scored one touchdown. On defense, he recorded 11 tackles, 10 of them solo. "Offensively, he hasn't reached his potential yet," Wagner said. "But on defense, he's a great down lineman." In addition to football and school, however, Schickram is also a married man. He and wife Lynn-Marie are expecting a child next June. As if he does not stay busy enough, Schickram, an elementary education major, student-teaches math two days a week at Port Richmond Middle School. Starting December 7, he will begin student-teaching full-time. He has also coached a youth baseball team consisting of 13- to 15-year-old kids for the past three years. Last year he even coached the youth All-Star team back in Tamaqua, taking them as far as the championship game. Schickram, who will have one year of athletic eligibility remaining, would like to be back at Penn for one more year, if his family and financial responsibilities permit him to do so. "He's got some major decisions to make," Wagner said. "But I also know that he loves football." So what are Schickram's most memorable moments of his sprint career? One game that comes to mind for Schickram is an emotional, hard-fought loss to Army earlier this season. "Our hardest hitting game was the Army game [two weeks ago]," Schickram said. "It was a bittersweet loss." On a personal level, Schickram will always remember the final home game against Princeton last year, a game in which he scored his only rushing touchdown. The victory propelled the Quakers into a tie for the league title and it was especially meaningful for Schickram, who had family in the crowd. Schickram and his teammates will need another good effort this week as they do battle with Navy Saturday at 7 p.m. on Franklin Field. With a victory over the Midshipmen (5-0, 2-0 CSFL), Penn (3-1, 1-1 CSFL) wouldEmove into a first-place tie with Army and Navy. Navy is coming off impressive back-to-back shutout victories over Princeton and Cornell, winning by a combined score of 76-0.
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