Susquehanna University isn’t playing football this season, which means Penn State letterman Alan Zemaitis ’05 isn’t coaching this season, at least not on the field. But as Penn Staters know, coaches have an impact beyond the gridiron, and Zemaitis is embodying that sense of leadership with a community service project he’s spearheading.

The 2005 graduate who helped fuel the Nittany Lions’ 11-win season that year is an assistant coach with Susquehanna, which had its season canceled because of COVID-19.

He’s ensuring that the team stays busy, however, coordinating a town-gown collaboration with his players called Season of Service, which fans can read more about on Susquehanna’s website. One of the goals is to hopefully bridge racial divisions, and one of the early projects is to improve a nonprofit playground in the community and to engage with residents.

“The lack of football is an opportunity for us to get connected with the community,” Zemaitis said in the feature. “It’s the most diverse group at Susquehanna. We can be an example of what it means to work together. That’s how things get accomplished.”

The project is already underway, with Susquehanna sharing updates in a recent feature. We’ll be sure to ask Zemaitis about this project next month, when he’s scheduled to appear on The Football Letter Live.

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