Week 4 fan: Steve Steitz

Gail Franklin

A dozen flags flew above an SUV and trailer from Connecticut on Saturday, revealing a lot about the fan who chose them.

Catrina Rawson

Steve Steitz, of East Lyme, Conn., sits in front of his tailgate prior to the start of the Penn State football game against Iowa, Saturday, October 6, 2007. CDT/Catrina Rawson

Who should be the Penn State fan of the year, as featured in the CDT?

A black flag with a skull and crossbones was coupled with a bold red flag on one pole, a symbol of war, Steve Steitz said.

"The red flag underneath meant no quarter," Steitz said. "In pirate language, it meant no surrender, and we have to win this game. We've lost the last two games, and those flags weren't flying at the last game, but they are today."

Another flag he chose for Saturday had a snake and the words "Don't tread on me," his nod to the U.S. Navy.

Among the large navy blue Penn State flags was one that seemed out of place: It was the yellow and black flag of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Steitz, who grew up in Palmyra and attended two years of college at Penn State, always flies the opposing team's flag. If they don't have one, he waves the Big Ten symbol.

But there's no mistaking his loyalty to the Nittany Lions. His trailer, with a wooden box he built eight years ago so he could transport tables and grills to the games, is adorned with a replica of the Nittany Lion shrine bolted to the top.

It even bears a faded swipe of orange paint under the lion's eye, applied by a jealous Syracuse fan.

On his trips from Connecticut to home or away games, he likes to use the lion to start the rivalry on the road. "If I see in my rearview mirror a Michigan fan, I can pull out in front of them and force them to look at the lion for a few minutes," he said with a big grin.

Steitz is also a generous fan. He makes sure his friends have tickets and invites family and friends to the tent near his flag-flying trailer.

On Saturday, he hosted Julie and Eddie Ivin and their three young boys, from Virginia. The boys all wore fake tattoos of a blue paw on their cheeks, which Steitz had provided, and they enjoyed his collection of stuffed Nittany Lions.

Eddie Ivin tossed a football back and forth with his 10-year-old son, Trey, who de clared that going to games with Steitz is the one time of the year he's allowed to play football in the road without getting in trouble.

FAN: Steve Steitz

Hometown: East Lyme, Conn.

Favorite game: Penn State vs. Nebraska

Favorite cheer: "Let's Go State" chant when the Blue Band enters the stadium.

Why I'm the best fan: "I come to all the games regardless of whether we win or lose. I do this because it's about family."

Why I should win the contest: Steitz said he has been a fan "since birth" and the important thing about being a fan now is that it's a youthful experience, where adults can be childlike without being childish.