MANSFIELD, Pa. - Rod Pursell's Mansfield story started as a 17-year-old from Northampton, Pennsylvania, hoping to continue playing football. He knew the Mansfield area from hunting trips with his father through Bradford and Tioga counties, but he did not know much about the school itself. Then one day, some of his high school teammates joked that they should all go to Mansfield because the football team wore black helmets.

As simple as it sounded, the idea stayed with him.

Pursell scheduled a visit and met with admissions representative Jamie Gold, who later married Frank Butsko. During the visit, he asked who he could speak with about playing football or competing in shot put and discus.

Mansfield did not have a head football coach at the time, but Gold called the football office and reached Carmen Bianco. She pulled out a campus map, highlighted a route to Decker Gym and sent Pursell toward what felt like countless steps.

When he reached the football office, Bianco asked him a direct question.

"Rod, what makes you think you can play football here at Mansfield?"

Pursell did not hesitate.

"Coach, I believe that with my dedication, determination and work ethic, I can play Division III football for you," Pursell said.

Bianco quickly corrected him. Mansfield was now Division II.

Pursell's answer did not change.

"I don't care what division you are," Pursell said. "I still think I can play here."

That belief became the beginning of one of the most respected careers in Mountaineer football history.

Pursell, a 1988 Mansfield graduate, became a four-year starter and letterwinner on the offensive line for the Mountaineers from 1983-86. He earned First Team All-PSAC East honors in 1985 and 1986, earned All-American honors in 1986, served as a team captain, was named team MVP as a senior and became the first recipient of the Frank A. Butsko Award.

He was a member of the 1,000 LB Club, earned Top Lifter recognition and was inducted into the Mansfield Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2016, he was named to the All-Era Football Team for 1980-2005 and was honored as the 33rd recipient of the Mansfield Presidential Coin of Excellence.

His connection to Mansfield has continued long after his playing career. Pursell has served on the Alumni Board, the Sprint Football Advisory Committee and the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee. He has supported Mansfield students through the Pursell Family Endowed Scholarship and helped launch the Karl Van Norman Field and Maxson Track stadium complex renovation with a $30,000 gift through the Mansfield Mountaineer Foundation.

Pursell received the Austin Snyder Award from the Mansfield football program in 2012 and has also been recognized as a Society of Honors inductee. This year, he was selected as the Tom Elsasser Award for Character recipient, another honor that reflects his lasting connection to Mansfield football and the values that shaped him as a Mountaineer.

Today, Pursell lives in the Lehigh Valley with his wife, Donna. The two met in high school, where they were members of the track team and developed a friendship while sharing a typing class. They are the proud parents of two daughters, Madison and Rachael.

Pursell serves as president of Adam Meyer Moving & Storage, a Bethlehem-based moving and storage company with more than 110 years of service. As a third-generation professional in the moving and storage industry, he continues a family tradition of leadership and customer service.

He also serves as president of Pursell Storage Company, a portable storage and relocation business, and president of Wildlife Acres LLC, a rental farm property located in Mainesburg, about 10 miles east of Mansfield.

Before the professional success, the honors and the decades of giving back, Pursell was simply trying to find his way.

His first semester at Mansfield was difficult. Pursell was academically dismissed, then reinstated after a review board hearing.

Mansfield gave him a second chance.

He never forgot it.

"As I have said before, Mansfield has been very good to me," Pursell said. "Because Mansfield believed in me when it could have easily moved on, I felt a responsibility to give back to the university that had invested in me."

That second chance became one of the defining themes of Pursell's life. So did the people who helped him make the most of it.

One of those people was Janice Kennedy.

Pursell said he would be remiss if he did not mention Kennedy, his academic advisor. Head coach Tom Elsasser introduced him to Kennedy when Pursell became a General Studies major, and she provided the guidance he needed to earn his diploma.

"Quite honestly, Janice Kennedy was a difference-maker in my life at Mansfield," Pursell said. "I often tell people that Janice Kennedy and Coach Tom Elsasser deserve to have their names on my diploma because of the impact they had on me. They challenged me, supported me and helped me succeed."

Kennedy's door was always open. She served in International Studies and taught in the Home Economics Department, but Pursell said what stood out most was that she genuinely cared about students. She even invited him to her home for dinner on several occasions.

At one point, Pursell approached Kennedy with an idea. As a General Studies major, he wanted to complete an internship working within his family's business.

Kennedy told him no one had ever done that at Mansfield.

Pursell made his case. Criminal Justice students completed internships. Education majors completed student teaching. Why couldn't he complete an internship connected to his field?

Together, they developed a proposal and presented it to the provost. After further review, it was approved.

"That experience is one of the reasons Mansfield was so special," Pursell said. "What other college or university would be willing to listen to a student's idea, work through the process and create an opportunity that had never existed before? Mansfield did."

To Pursell, that moment showed what made Mansfield different. It was a place willing to see potential instead of obstacles.

"The university was willing to see potential rather than obstacles, and that internship became an important part of my education and professional development," Pursell said.

The same lessons showed up on the football field.

Pursell described his experience with the Mountaineer football program as a roller coaster, filled with highs and lows. His freshman year was a reality check. He had to adjust to college classes while learning a playbook he described as two inches thick.

On the field, he quickly learned how physical college football could be.

His sophomore year brought improvement, but also a turning point. During a game against West Chester, Pursell lined up across from a player who, in his words, completely manhandled him.

After that game, Pursell made a promise to himself.

He would never get beaten like that again.

And he never was.

By his junior year, Pursell had committed himself to the weight room, added 20 pounds and moved to offensive guard. Then, in late January 1986, the entire Mountaineer community was hit with tragedy when offensive line coach Frank Butsko was killed in an automobile accident during a recruiting trip.

"At 20 years old, the unexpected death of Coach Frank Butsko devastated our team, especially the offensive line," Pursell said. "In the football office, I was often known as 'Frank's son' because of the close relationship we had developed during my time at Mansfield."

Butsko pushed his players every day. He challenged them mentally and physically. Pursell said Butsko had a way of pushing players to their limits and then building their confidence back up.More than anything, players never wanted to disappoint him.

"His commitment to the offensive line was unmatched," Pursell said. "He had us on the practice field at least a half hour before practice and kept us there for another 20 minutes after everyone else had left. He demanded excellence from his linemen and refused to accept anything less than our best effort."

The lessons stayed with Pursell long after his playing career ended.

"What I learned from Coach Butsko extended far beyond football," Pursell said. "He taught me to keep fighting, never quit and push through adversity regardless of the circumstances. He brought out a toughness and competitive edge in me that I never knew I possessed. He taught us to play with a chip on our shoulder and to take pride in being Mansfield Mountaineers."

Since 1986, the Butsko Breakfast has been held annually to honor Butsko's memory and his impact on Mansfield football. The highlight of the event is the presentation of the Frank Butsko Award, the most prestigious honor that can be bestowed on a Mountaineer football player.

Following Butsko's death, the creation of the award was kept closely guarded. Pursell would soon learn that he had been selected as the first recipient.

During the first spring game after Butsko's passing, the award was announced and presented for the first time. Pursell was completely shocked. Along with the honor came a scholarship of $250 per semester. The award was later presented again during halftime of the Parents' Weekend home game.

"Receiving the first Frank Butsko Award remains one of the most meaningful recognitions of my life," Pursell said. "To be chosen for an award bearing the name of a coach who had such a profound impact on my development as a player and as a person was both humbling and emotional."

The award represented more than football. It represented loyalty, leadership, toughness and the values Butsko worked to instill in his players. For Pursell, being the first recipient tied his own Mansfield journey forever to a coach whose influence still lives through one of the football program's proudest traditions.

Pursell's senior season brought new challenges and new highs. Steve Zegalia became the offensive line coach and took on the difficult task of rebuilding the unit after the graduation of two senior starters. Under his leadership, the group came together, and Pursell enjoyed the best season of his career.

He was again selected First Team All-PSAC East and was named to the Little All-American Team.

Those honors reinforced a lesson that has stayed with him throughout his life.

Hard work, dedication and discipline pay off.

During his four years at Mansfield, Pursell played under three offensive line coaches: Jody Hubbard, Butsko and Zegalia. Each had a different style and approach. Pursell believes learning from all three helped him become a better offensive lineman.

"The older players were always willing to help the younger players, creating a culture of mentorship and teamwork," Pursell said. "We all shared the same goal, to get better every day. That commitment to one another and to continuous improvement was one of the things that made my Mansfield football experience so meaningful."

As an offensive lineman, Pursell took pride in the work that rarely appeared in the box score.

Most fans focus on touchdowns, yards and individual accomplishments. Offensive linemen see the game differently.

Pursell paid attention to total offensive yards, yards per possession, rushing production, sacks allowed, hurried passes, completions and turnovers. To him, the offensive line played a role in all of it.

"There was nothing more satisfying than opening a hole so cleanly that a running back could run through untouched or providing enough protection for our quarterback to stand comfortably in the pocket and complete a 40-yard pass downfield," Pursell said.

He loved executing screen plays and pulls from his guard position. He loved getting out in space, finding a defensive back and delivering a block that allowed a teammate to make a play.

"Offensive linemen rarely receive the recognition given to quarterbacks, running backs or receivers," Pursell said. "But we take great satisfaction in knowing that many of the offense's successes begin with the work done in the trenches."

Pursell was considered the anchor of an offensive line that helped running back Robert "Pumpkin" Funderburk become one of the most productive backs in Mansfield history.

As a line, Pursell said the group took pride in seeing the final statistics produced by the running backs. During his junior and senior seasons, the Mountaineers shifted to a West Coast-style offense that featured screen passes and draw plays. Those schemes depended on timing, execution and linemen who could get out in space.

Funderburk, known to teammates as "Pumpkin," had the hands and playmaking ability to fit that offense.

"He could catch the ball naturally out of the backfield and turn a short gain into a big play," Pursell said. "Once Pumpkin got into the open field, he was gone. His speed, vision and playmaking ability made him a constant threat to score whenever he touched the ball."

For Pursell, watching a screen pass or draw play develop exactly as it was designed was a reward in itself. The statistics may have gone to someone else, but the line knew the work it took to make those plays happen.

Success also required learning how to work with different personalities.

As Pursell looks back, he appreciates that football taught him more than technique and toughness. It taught him accountability, commitment to a shared goal and how to work with people who may approach things differently.

"As an offensive line, our job was to do whatever we could to help our teammates succeed," Pursell said. "We didn't always have the same personalities, and there were certainly moments of frustration, but we understood that achieving our goals required commitment to the team."

Those lessons became part of who he was.

"Looking back, I appreciate the lessons those experiences taught me about teamwork, accountability and working with people who may approach things differently than you do," Pursell said.

The memories from those years remain clear.

As a freshman in 1983, Pursell traveled with the Mountaineers to Maryland to play Towson in a regionally televised game on CBS. It was his first experience being part of a televised college football game.

During the trip, the team visited the Lincoln Memorial, the Reflecting Pool and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Pursell was able to make an etching of his brother's name at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

It remains one of the most personal and emotional moments of his life.

On the field, the 1986 season produced two memories that still stand out. The Mountaineers defeated a nationally ranked Edinboro team on the road, a victory Pursell called a testament to how far the team had come.

Later that season, Mansfield defeated East Stroudsburg at home for the first time in 16 years.

When the final whistle blew, the emotion was overwhelming. The Mountaineers lifted Elsasser onto their shoulders and carried him across the field toward East Stroudsburg head coach Denny Douds.

"The victory was especially meaningful because Mansfield had not beaten East Stroudsburg in 16 years," Pursell said. "For Coach Elsasser, it was the culmination of years of frustration and determination."

The celebration reflected the pride of a program that had accomplished something Mansfield teams had been chasing for more than a decade.

"These memories have stayed with me long after the games were over," Pursell said.

Elsasser's impact on Pursell went far beyond the field.

Pursell first met Bianco during his visit in February 1983, when Bianco was serving as interim head coach. Bianco and Louie Pompei helped sell him on Mansfield during that visit.

Then, in April, Elsasser called.

"This is Tom Elsasser, head coach at Mansfield," he told Pursell. "I want you to come play football for me."

Pursell's response was simple.

"When and where do I report?"

From that day forward, Elsasser became one of the most influential people in Pursell's life.

Elsasser served as head coach of Mansfield's NCAA Division II football team from 1983-95. He holds the record for the longest tenure and most wins of any coach in Mansfield football history. He was named PSAC East Coach of the Year in 1990 and helped guide a program that produced 83 All-PSAC East selections during his tenure, with some of his players going on to sign professional contracts with the CFL, NFL and international leagues.

But Elsasser's legacy was never measured only in wins, honors or records.

He supported student-athletes in the classroom, in their sport and in life.

"He was much more than a football coach," Pursell said. "He was a teacher, mentor, father figure and friend. I still think about Coach E every day."

Elsasser taught more than X's and O's. He taught life lessons that Pursell carried with him long after Mansfield. He taught accountability, discipline, hard work and pride.

Pursell said Elsasser became a father figure away from home and shared many of the same values, principles and work ethic as his own father. Their relationship continued beyond football, including time spent hunting and fishing together.

Before Elsasser passed away in 2023, he asked Pursell to speak at his memorial service.

"I want you to tell them that I had no regrets," Elsasser told him.

When the time came, the room was filled with friends, family, colleagues and former players.

To Pursell, that room represented only a small percentage of the people Elsasser impacted.

After graduation, Pursell remained deeply connected to Mansfield.

He has served on the Alumni Board, the Sprint Football Advisory Committee, the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee and in several other roles. His commitment to giving back was shaped by another Mansfield figure, Austin Snyder.

As a student-athlete, Pursell remembered seeing Snyder regularly attend football practices. Snyder would stand along the sideline, watch practice and talk with Elsasser.

Pursell knew of Snyder during his student days, but got to know him better after graduation. Through his example, Snyder taught Pursell the importance of giving back, whether through financial support, volunteering time or helping Mansfield become better than it was the day before.

"But it all started with a man named Austin Snyder," Pursell said. "He was the person who showed me the importance of being an engaged and committed alumnus."

In February 1988, Pursell received a letter from Mansfield president Rod Kelchner congratulating him on a successful semester and earning his degree. One passage stayed with him.

"As an undergraduate student, you were a valuable member of our total university community. I encourage you to continue that role as a member of our body of alumni."

Those words helped shape the decades that followed.

"Those words resonated deeply with me," Pursell said. "Combined with the example set by Austin Snyder and the second chance Mansfield had given me, they set everything in motion. They reinforced my belief that giving back is not only a responsibility but also a privilege."

Pursell and his family established the Pursell Family Endowed Scholarship to support Mansfield students. For Pursell, the reason is simple.

Gratitude.

"An endowed scholarship continues to give long after we are gone," Pursell said. "It is more than a financial gift. It is a lasting statement that Mansfield changed our lives and helped shape who we became."

His hope is that future students benefit from the same opportunities, support and second chances that he received.

"If an endowed scholarship can help even one student achieve their goals and change the course of their life, then its impact will continue for generations," Pursell said.

For Pursell, being a Mountaineer has always carried meaning.

"When I think of a Mountaineer, I think of someone who is rugged, adventurous, resilient and tough," Pursell said. "Being a Mountaineer always gave me a tremendous sense of pride. It meant being part of something bigger than myself."

He understood that wearing the Mansfield name came with responsibility.

"I was only one small cog in the wheel, but every student, athlete, faculty member, staff member and alumnus played an important role in Mansfield's success," Pursell said. "Wearing the Mansfield name carried a responsibility to represent the university with character, hard work and integrity. I was proud to be a Mountaineer then, and I remain proud to be a Mountaineer today."


Being a student-athlete at Mansfield helped give Pursell mental toughness, integrity and leadership skills. Those lessons carried into his personal and professional life.

His advice to current Mansfield student-athletes is to understand the responsibility that comes with representing Mansfield.

"Remember that you are representing Mansfield every day," Pursell said. "Walk with a chip on your shoulder, but don't be arrogant or cocky. Be confident in who you are, stay humble and let your actions speak for themselves."

He also encouraged student-athletes to enjoy their time on campus, invest in the classroom and take advantage of the relationships and opportunities in front of them.

"Enjoy the four years you have on campus," Pursell said. "They will go by faster than you think. Take advantage of the opportunities to learn, build friendships and create memories that will last a lifetime."

More than anything, Pursell wants current Mountaineers to understand they are part of something bigger.

"You are representing more than 30,000 alumni who came before you and helped build the tradition and reputation of Mansfield," Pursell said. "Carry that responsibility with pride."

For Pursell, the phrase "Once a Mountie, Always a Mountie" is more than a saying. It is a connection that lasts.

"The lessons and friendships you gain at Mansfield do not end at graduation," Pursell said. "They stay with you for the rest of your life."

Decades after his final snap, Pursell still sees Mansfield as the place that believed in him, challenged him, gave him a second chance and helped shape the person he became.

"Mansfield is a special place," Pursell said. "So many of us call Mansfield home."

Once a Mountie, Always a Mountie.