Sports can be an outlet used to forget about an otherwise troublesome life, whether those troubles lie at school, home or both. Sports are all some kids have.

Owen Schmitt owns a bar just outside of Morgantown, West Virginia, and plays a mean guitar on the side.

Well, not quite.

Lafferty grew up in Hollidaysburg, Pa., located on the Juniata River about an hour and 45 minutes away from Pittsburgh.

What fans may not know about, however, is Gray’s journey after he left the steel city.

Laskas is the author of six other books, include the award-winning Hidden America (Putnam, 2012) and a trilogy of memoirs: Fifty Acres and Poodle, The Exact Same Moon, and Growing Girls.

The Nittany Lions have not managed one winning conference record during his five-year stint with the program, topping out at 7-11 last season.