He heard his football coach tell him more than enough times.

"If you do your job, you'll never get your name in the paper. That's for the guy behind you."Not exactly true, coach.The time has come for Anthony Damiano to get his name in the paper.Damiano was the starting fullback for the St. Francis University Red Flash this past season and in his career, he was the lead blocker for Kyle Harbridge and Khairi Dickson, both D1 Football Championship Subdivision All-American running backs. Altogether, Damiano was a key factor in their combined 7,000 yards gained on the ground.The former Marian football star and current Tamaqua resident had no problem playing an unheralded position to knock linebackers out of the way so that his teammates could run for the glory."Ever since I started playing football at 8 years old and I first got my bell rung, I loved to hit people," Damiano said. "To me, there's nothing better than to play a position that lets me have fun getting my hands dirty."Damiano also played fullback for Stan Dakosty's Marian Colts, but in the Red Flash pro style and spread offenses where his assignment was mostly to attack the outside linebacker, he had to make an adjustment from a three to a two-point stance,"It's definitely different," he said. "I had to really improve my technique of keeping my hips underneath me while blocking a moving target."This year's St Francis team finished second in the Northeast Conference, losing the title game to Duquesne. Damiano's assignment in that game was to block Chris Kuntz, the NEC defensive player of the year."I loved that challenge to block the best. Unlike in high school, I watched a lot of film in college to determine my opponent's tendencies, which was a big help in planning my blocking strategies."As much as Damiano enjoyed his primary responsibilities, his favorite play to remember is catching a touchdown pass in this season's opening game against Georgetown."I was recruited by some Patriot League schools so this will always be special to me. It was a play action pass and once I got by the linebacker I was wide open for an easy catch."Chris Villarrial, head coach of the St. Francis Red Flash, describes Damiano as a "lunch pail, blue collar guy who never missed a workout, was always on time, and sacrificed himself for the success of his teammates.""Anthony learned our fullback position because he did whatever it took to get on the football field," Villarrial said. "He may not get recognized statistically speaking, but his leading by example certainly earned the respect of his coaches and his teammates."Athletic success for Damiano, who registered 125 tackles as a linebacker at Marian, is also in the family gene pool.His grandfather is in the Carbon County Football Hall of Fame having played for the old Nesquehoning High School. His father, Tony, also played for Marian and was a star at Lycoming College. Anthony's brother, Joe, and sister, Amanda were excellent athletes as well. Team Damiano is glued together by Anthony's mother, Bonita."No one has ever had a bad word to say about Anthony," his father said. "As good as he is on the football field and in the classroom, what makes me most proud is Anthony is a wonderful human being."Villarrial added, "You could tell he comes from a great family. Anthony never makes excuses. He's unselfish. He just gets it done."Damiano got it done in the classroom too. As a senior he qualified for the Commissioner's Honor Roll and the dean's list on his way toward a degree in health science. Anthony now plans to pursue a doctorate degree in physical therapy at St. Francis.After a football career in which he knocked down opposing linebackers, a career in physical therapy appears to be a logical choice for Damiano.He can once again lead the way, but this time it will be to help people get back on their feet.