On Sept. 12, 2000, four days before his team was scheduled to play the University of Pittsburgh, Justin Kurpeikis opened his mailbox on the Penn State campus. Inside, the Nittany Lions defensive lineman and Central Catholic High School graduate discovered a postcard with a simple, albeit loaded, message.
“We’re going to teach you a lesson in the shadows of the Cathedral of Learning,” it read.
What the letter lacked in geographic accuracy — the college football game was played at Three Rivers Stadium, 4 miles west of Pitt’s iconic 42-story tower — it made up for in inflamed, uninhibited passion, the kind that compels someone to send such a note to a stranger (a college student, no less).