Oct. 30, 2007
by Chris Koleno, Department of Public Information. Originally printed in the Beaver Stadium Pictorial for the 2007 Florida International Game. To buy copies of this year's football game programs, visit the .
During Penn State's football matchup last year with then-No. 1-ranked Ohio State in Columbus, fans saw Tony Hunt break into the open with a huge rip in the seat of his pants, an illness send Joe Paterno rushing off the sidelines, and a multitude of other surprises take place before the camera's eye.
But what the camera sees is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the story of a football game as seen through the eyes of J. Brad "Spider" Caldwell, who is celebrating 25 years as Penn State's equipment manager. Born with a severe case of scoliosis that left him without part of his left shoulder blade and a number of ribs, he acquired his nickname when then-Penn State defensive lineman Joe Hines noticed a hunched-over Caldwell before a team meeting.
"I was joking around, crawling across the locker room one day and I'm all arms and legs," said Caldwell. "Hines said I looked like a spider and it stuck."
During the Ohio State game, every inch of those arms and legs was in overdrive.
A stubborn Hunt refused to change his pants despite Caldwell's insistence. Levi Brown's shoes malfunctioned and it became necessary to reconstruct a build-up in a new pair of size-17 shoes. Around the same time, the seams of Derrick Williams' gloves gave way and Caldwell moved quickly to supply him with a backup pair, all the while continuing to badger Hunt about the backside he was putting forth to millions of blue-and-white faithful watching on national television.
"In fairness to Tony, he probably didn't want to change his pants because he was wearing a super-thin pair of Nike test pants and he knew if he changed it would be into a heavier form of pants," Caldwell explained. In the midst of all this, Caldwell looked up to see Tom Venturino, director of football operations, shouting and running down the sidelines straight at him.
Venturino was anxious to catch Caldwell's attention because, for the first time in 40 years, Paterno was leaving the sidelines, and Caldwell had the only set of keys to the locker room. Caldwell ran for all he was worth and arrived at the locker room just as Paterno reached for the door. But Caldwell's thoughts were elsewhere, hoping Hunt's pants would hold out. At halftime, however, a compromise was reached with Hunt when Caldwell pulled an oversized jersey down below the tear and pinned it inside Hunt's pants.
No story about Caldwell's career would be complete without mention of the man who put everything into motion. When Caldwell was in eighth grade, Mike Keely, science teacher and coach of the Curwensville Junior High football team, was on the prowl for a manager. Having taught Caldwell, the coach thought he had just the personality he was looking for.
Caldwell reluctantly accepted, but he wasn't on the job long before the varsity football coach snatched him from the grasp of the junior high coach. Varsity baseball and varsity wrestling soon followed suit.
Up until this point in Caldwell's life he had been a bit backward and shy, due in part to a back brace he was required to wear and to his tilted-over appearance, which set him apart from the other teenagers. "It (being an athletic team manager) really got me out of my shell," said Caldwell. "It made me feel part of a team."
In 1983, he enrolled at Penn State to earn a degree in a field that would help him continue down this path, and in 1986, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in recreation and parks. While attending the University he worked as a student football manager. This stepping stone led to his current position, which requires him to do any job asked of him -- which involves outfitting 120 football players (including managing more than 2,000 jerseys and 2,000 pairs of cleats) and making sure that any piece of equipment needed can be replaced at a moment's notice from the sidelines of each game. During the season, 70- to 80-hour work weeks are the norm.
Keeping the team outfitted spills over into Caldwell's personal life, too. He enlisted his wife, Karen, an avid Penn State football fan who speaks with pride about her husband's accomplishments, as the team's seamstress. "The uniforms used to be sent out for repairs, but the team is under tight time deadlines and people are always looking for souvenirs," said Karen Caldwell. "I look for them out on the field -- the ones that I've stitched together -- and make sure they are holding together."
Brad Caldwell is so much a part of the Penn State football fabric that when Lou Prato and Scott Brown set out to write the book "What It Means to be a Nittany Lion," they sought him out for an interview.
The book profiles 68 Penn State football players, broken down by decades as far back as the 1930s. Caldwell had been the equipment manager when 30 of the 68 attended the University, and he knew another 20 players. Under the belief that his inside information and quotes were simply to be incorporated into the profiles of those players, Caldwell forwarded his wealth of knowledge to the authors.
Caldwell was shocked when the book was published and he read a final chapter in the book titled "Honorable Mention." The three people profiled in that chapter -- the only individuals highlighted who were not football players -- were Fran Fisher, also known as the voice of Penn State football; Gene Wett-stone, legendary Penn State gymnastics coach and the third Nittany Lion mascot; and Caldwell.
Scott Brown said that selecting Caldwell for inclusion in the book was a "no-brainer."
"Over the past quarter-of-a-century he got to know some of them (players) so well. He was at every practice, every game. He had some real funny anecdotes about the players and about Joe," said Brown. "I hope he goes another 25 years."