Sports in the Time of Reagan

Growing up in the 1980s, many would have listed Michael Jordan or Joe Montana as their ultimate sports icons. Others would have had a lineup including Magic, Bird, or maybe even Gretzky. But for Michael Weinreb, who grew up in central Pennsylvania, the quarterback at Penn State University never departed from the top of his list. It did not matter that this particular Nittany Lions QB, John Shaffer, wowed no one with his athleticism or his on-field persona. He led Penn State to the 1986 national championship and once dislocated his shoulder giving a high-five.