Every football program has a glue guy, a guy who holds everything together and knows everything about everything.

For the better part of 40 years, Samuel “Sammy” Miller was exactly that and more for the Altoona football team.

“Sammy, as far as I’m concerned, epitomized what Altoona football was like, hard nosed, tough,” former Altoona Mountain Lion assistant coach Rock DePiro said.

On Thursday, Miller passed away at the age of 95. And a part of the program’s rich history went with him.

Miller believed in and loved every single player who put on the maroon and white from the time he was born until he died. He worked with the program until his late 80s setting up practices, supporting the coaching staff and players, being sure the officials had the right ball on game days and grinning ear to ear anytime there was a big, physical hit.

“He was genuine and believed in me,” former Mountain Lion standout lineman Randy Beers said. “He always loved when you lit someone up on the field. He got a real kick out of being more physical than your opponent and would give you that look with a fist pump.”

Miller was the definition of selfless, often being at Mansion Park well before sunrise during three-a-day camps, getting the daily milk order and setting up practice all while the players and coaches slept peacefully. He’d cruise around Mansion Park in his trademark John Deere “Gator” he commandeered from the maintenance department and never let go.

“Sammy was the ultimate example of giving of himself for the benefit of others,” Altoona assistant and former head coach Tom Palfey said. “He never asked for anything in return, yet he was always the first one up at camp, the first to help set up the field, and the biggest cheerleader for both the coaches and the athletes. He did this for decades, impacting hundreds of young students and modeling what kindness, loyalty and dedication are meant to look like.”

Miller’s selflessness bled right back into the program with injured players always being willing to help him if they were physically able to.

He was a major part of the successes had by several coaches and players who fed off his tireless work ethic.

“Sammy followed Altoona football since the 1940s and he was like a walking encyclopedia of Altoona football, if there was a question, or if a name of a great player came up, Sammy had seen him,” DePiro said. He was there through the Earl Strohm era. And then, of course, he got to be a part of when we were there, when Ed Dalton coach and Phil Riccio first took over. We had a lot of success, and he was, he was a big part of that.”

Through the successes and the coaching changes the constant in the program was always Miller, and even after he stepped away from the program to focus on his health, he could still be found hanging out at practice telling stories just like he had for the past 40-plus years.

“The world was a better place with Sammy’s presence,” Beers said. “I was lucky enough to play for some of the best coaches in the country to include Jim Tressel my college coach and my line coach at Altoona, Rock Depiro but no one could have an impact on someone like Sammy had on me.”

While Miller was Altoona’s biggest fan, his biggest fans were his family and especially his beloved wife Bev who took great care of Sammy in his final years. She and her family graciously shared him with the football program and his memory will forever live on in the hearts of Mountain Lions everywhere.

“Sammy will be greatly missed by the Altoona community, but his impact will endure for a long time,” Palfey said. “I know he made a lasting difference not only in my life, but in the life of my entire family.”

You can’t tell the story about Altoona football without mentioning the legacy and life of Miller. He demonstrated what it was like to bleed maroon and white and how much wearing the ‘A’ meant.

“It was an honor to know him,” DePiro said. “He was one of those guys that one of those unforgettable personalities. He was just loved by everybody.”