If you see Dan Lawlor in a local eatery on one of your trips to Happy Valley, don't be afraid to go up to the big guy and ask him for an autograph.

Seriously, he won't mind.

In fact, Penn State's starting fullback loves the attention.

"He doesn't mind at all. He loves it when people recognize him. It surprises him," said 22-year-old Sarah Keller, Lawlor's girlfriend. "Dan is a really nice guy, really down to earth. He loves that kind of stuff."

Up until this season, many fans probably didn't recognize Lawlor, the 6-foot-2, 244-pound senior from Mechanicsburg, Pa. But after delivering some crushing blocks in the first few weeks of the season, more people are starting to recognize his talents. One of those people is his head coach.

But before we look at where Lawlor is, we have to look at where he came from.

When talking with Lawlor, you get the impression that this guy was made to be a fullback.

He doesn't crave the spotlight. When he talks, he gets animated when he discusses throwing a block. Now that's a fullback.

So if it appears that Lawlor was meant to be a fullback, there's a good reason for that. He comes from Cumberland Valley High School. But when he was in grade school, he got a visit from another Cumberland Valley standout, Jon Ritchie. He was a Cumberland Valley stud who played at Michigan and Stanford before breaking into the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and eventually, the Philadelphia Eagles.

Shortly after Cumberland Valley won a state title in 1992, Ritchie and his fellow teammates visited the area elementary schools.

It was then that Lawlor made up his mind — fullback it was.

Lawlor would go on to have an outstanding scholastic career. He finished his CV career with 4,237 yards on 662 carries — 6.4 yards a crack. During his senior season, which ended with a defeat in the PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinals, Lawlor had 1,577 yards on 229 carries and scored a whopping 36 touchdowns. He was the District 3 Player of the Year.

The three-time Associated Press All-State selection had paved his way to a scholarship.

And in the process of becoming another great fullback to come from Cumberland Valley High, Lawlor bonded with his idol. He patterned his career after Ritchie, and the two are friends now.

Lawlor said he got some one-on-one time with Ritchie this summer.

"I got to talk to him a lot over the summer," Lawlor said. "Him giving me tips was really helpful. I used to watch him play all the time. He's a prototypical fullback."

In Mechanicsburg, filling Ritchie's shoes isn't easy, but Lawlor is giving it a shot.

If you think that just because Lawlor is from Mechanicsburg that Penn State was always in the cards, think again.

"I always wanted to play at the college level," Lawlor said. "I had no idea I would be coming here."

He was the 11th fullback in the country, according to Rivals.com. And he was the No. 21 player in Pennsylvania. The offers began to pile up. He had scholarship offers from Penn State, UConn, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Maryland and Iowa.

But as Lawlor began looking at potential schools, Penn State climbed to the top of the list.

"Every time I came here, took a visit here, I loved it more and more," Lawlor said.

So in June of 2003, Lawlor and his family loaded up the SUV, made the trip up state Route 322 and gave Penn State coach Joe Paterno a verbal commitment.

Lawlor's father, Jim, played football at Virginia Tech. And his brothers, Jim and Kevin, played football at Lebanon Valley College and Northeastern University, respectively.

But Dan was the first to get an offer from Penn State.

His collegiate career had begun.

Like most players who come to Penn State, Lawlor had to wait his turn. He took a redshirt during his freshman season. During his sophomore and junior years, he battled BranDon Snow and Matt Hahn for playing time.

He saw some spot duty during his redshirt sophomore and junior seasons. But he had just one carry in 2005 and three in 2006.

"Coming from an offense where all I did was run the ball, then coming here and learning how to block was different at first," Lawlor said. "But I learned and I got better."

During the 2007 season, Lawlor's chance finally came. He played in nine games and earned starts against Ohio State, Purdue and Temple. After senior Matt Hahn went down with a season-ending knee injury, Lawlor's workload increased.

He would finish the year with 37 yards on nine carries and one touchdown. His first collegiate TD came in the season opener, when he scored on a 16-yard run against Florida International.

It took a while, but Lawlor's time had finally come. He entered the 2008 season as the starting fullback. Through all the ups and downs, Lawlor insists that he never thought about transferring.

Or quitting, for that matter.

"Nah," Lawlor said with a shrug. "Playing football is the funnest thing. I love doing it and it's been a great experience."

This season, Lawlor's still not getting the ball. But he's delivered some crushing blocks that have helped sprung tailbacks Evan Royster and Stephfon Green.

He was a big part of Royster's 141-yard day against Oregon State. But Lawlor refused to take any of the credit for the blocking that helped create some of the holes.

"Evan's the type of running back, if I get a hat on someone, he'll do the job. Joe said to me 'just hit them and let the running back do his job,''' Lawlor said. "Evan's a great back, he has great vision. He helps me out by setting up the blocker. He does a great job of doing that. He's a tough runner and a tough guy to bring down."

Royster said that he appreciates Lawlor's effort.

"He's become a great blocker," Royster said. "I saw some of it last year and he comes out and just puts his butt on the line and blocks great from week to week."

As for his attitude on game day, Lawlor borrows a page from teammate A.Q. Shipley, who said that he plays "pissed off."

"You have to play reckless," Lawlor said. "A.Q. is right — you gotta go out there pissed off with a full head of steam and try to knock the crap out of someone."

If there's one thing about Lawlor, it's that he appears to be easy to work with. According to offensive coordinator Galen Hall, he is.

"Dan has developed into really a pretty good fullback for us. Whenever Matt Hahn got hurt last year, he filled in (and) played well. He knows his role. He accepts it. He's a very important part of this offense and I'm pleased with the way he has played," Hall said.

There's a big difference between being a lineman and being a fullback. Although he isn't one of them, Lawlor certainly has earned the respect of the offensive line.

Junior Dennis Landolt is impressed with what he's seen of Lawlor this season.

"I've joked with a couple of the fullbacks that they're just a glorified guards in the backfield," Landolt said. "It's great to have a guy who can come out and block well on the run. On the edge, he picks up linebackers and safeties. It's great to have that guy back there."

And for his work ethic?

"At practice, he doesn't say much. He just comes to work and gets everything done," Landolt said.

At a recent news conference, Paterno was asked about the play of his senior fullback.

The 81-year-old coach lit up as he talked about Lawlor.

"I'm glad you asked that," Paterno said. "He's one of those guys that nobody even knows he's doing anything but he's played well, he really has. He's been solid, he's blocked well."

According to those who know him best, Lawlor is nothing like the Tasmanian Devil we see on the field. You know, the one who throws punishing blocks and opens holes for his backfield mates.

In fact, there's a side to Lawlor we don't get to see.

"Dan is a really funny guy," Keller said. "He's goofy and he's got a great sense of humor."

She said that when Lawlor's not in class or on the football field, he's probably watching a movie.

"He's got hundreds of DVDs. He can quote any movie. He likes everything," Keller said.

Aside from movies, Keller said that Lawlor likes to "chill" and dine out. And he spends a lot of time at his apartment with his roommates, Daryll Clark, Stephfon Green and Devon Still.

It's an odd mix of roommates, for sure, but Keller said that they all get along.

"When they turn up the rap, he'll start blasting Motley Crue," Keller said. "But they all get along. They're great guys."

Just three games into the season, Lawlor has already left his mark. On the field, for sure. But especially on the opposition.

He appears to be an upgrade over the previous fullbacks, Snow and Hahn.

Before the season began, he changed his uniform number from 38 to 33. The 33 became available after Austin Scott was kicked off the team. Lawlor wore 33 in high school, so he jumped at the chance to wear it again.

"He was real excited about that," Keller said.

Now that he's established himself as a solid blocking back, there's only one thing left for him to do.

Get the ball.

But Lawlor isn't Keyshawn. He's not out there yelling, "give me the damn ball!"

In fact, just the opposite is true.

"I'll do whatever the coaches want me to do. It doesn't matter," Lawlor said. "Give me the ball or I'll block for someone. If we score, I'm happy."

But for those who want to see what No. 33 can do with the ball in his hands, good news.

"We don't give him the ball. I think we have two plays for him," Paterno said. "But we're going to have to give him the ball a little bit. Dan's a good solid football player and he's played very well. He's all business and he keeps his mouth shut out there. He's a good solid football player. I like Danny."

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