Joe Nastasi Jr.
Joseph Nastasi Jr. graduated from Northern Bedford County High School in 1994 as one of the most decorated high school athletes to ever come out of Bedford County.
The gifted 6’1"senior had a year and career that was unmatched in a variety of high level accomplishments, particularly on the gridiron and on the basketball floor.
He finished his gridiron career with 5,717 all-purpose yards, most of which came via receiving, but he added an impressive 1,200+ yards in kick returns alone.
In his senior year, 1993, Joe scored 22 touchdowns while not only being named the Regional Offensive Player of the Year (Altoona Mirror) and first team all-state as a wide receiver, but also the Pennsylvania Small School Player of the Year. He was named to the prestigious Pennsylvania Big 33 team and also played in the All-America Bowl game.
His junior season in 1992 may have been his strongest statistically. He caught a school record 63 passes for another school record 1,003 yards and scored 27 touchdowns in a variety of ways. He was named to the first team all-state team as a wide receiver his junior year and became the first early college commit ever when he signed with Penn State between junior and senior seasons.
Meanwhile, on the hardwood, he was setting nets on fire across the Bedford County and Sideling Hill Leagues. He scored 58 points in a single game as a freshman. His sophomore year saw him average 28.8 points per game while becoming the first sophomore in local history to go over 1,000 career points and was named second team all-state.
He didn’t slow down his junior or senior seasons. He was first team all-state in both those seasons and finished with 2,961 career points, which put him atop the all-time school, county, and regional lists at the time and in the top five in Pennsylvania history. He scored 61 points in one game for an individual game county record.
His single-game effort in a PIAA second round playoff game in March of 1993 in which the Panthers nearly upset eventual State Champions Duquesne is still legendary. According to most local basketball aficionados, it may be the greatest individual game ever seen by a Bedford County schoolboy.
Not to be lost in his individual accolades, the teams he played on were outstanding in each sport. The 1994 basketball team and football team were both District 5 champions. The 1993 baseball team on which he started also won a District 5 title and advanced to the state’s final four.
Still, it was on the gridiron that he would continue to make a name for himself after graduation from high school. At Penn State, Nastasi lettered four consecutive seasons for the Nittany Lions. In his freshman year, he scored his first career touchdown on a fake field goal that keyed the home win over Michigan.
In his last three seasons (1996-98), he started at wide receiver and finished his career with 45 receptions for 741 yards, 16.5 yards per catch, and seven touchdowns. He played in January 1 bowl games with the Nittany Lions each of his four years.
Nastasi signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns in the spring of 1999, and he spent all of camp and most of the preseason with the Browns and played in several exhibition games.
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Joseph Nastasi Jr. graduated from Northern Bedford County High School in 1994 as one of the most decorated high school athletes to ever come out of Bedford County.
The gifted 6’1"senior had a year and career that was unmatched in a variety of high level accomplishments, particularly on the gridiron and on the basketball floor.
He finished his gridiron career with 5,717 all-purpose yards, most of which came via receiving, but he added an impressive 1,200+ yards in kick returns alone.
In his senior year, 1993, Joe scored 22 touchdowns while not only being named the Regional Offensive Player of the Year (Altoona Mirror) and first team all-state as a wide receiver, but also the Pennsylvania Small School Player of the Year. He was named to the prestigious Pennsylvania Big 33 team and also played in the All-America Bowl game.
His junior season in 1992 may have been his strongest statistically. He caught a school record 63 passes for another school record 1,003 yards and scored 27 touchdowns in a variety of ways. He was named to the first team all-state team as a wide receiver his junior year and became the first early college commit ever when he signed with Penn State between junior and senior seasons.
Meanwhile, on the hardwood, he was setting nets on fire across the Bedford County and Sideling Hill Leagues. He scored 58 points in a single game as a freshman. His sophomore year saw him average 28.8 points per game while becoming the first sophomore in local history to go over 1,000 career points and was named second team all-state.
He didn’t slow down his junior or senior seasons. He was first team all-state in both those seasons and finished with 2,961 career points, which put him atop the all-time school, county, and regional lists at the time and in the top five in Pennsylvania history. He scored 61 points in one game for an individual game county record.
His single-game effort in a PIAA second round playoff game in March of 1993 in which the Panthers nearly upset eventual State Champions Duquesne is still legendary. According to most local basketball aficionados, it may be the greatest individual game ever seen by a Bedford County schoolboy.
Not to be lost in his individual accolades, the teams he played on were outstanding in each sport. The 1994 basketball team and football team were both District 5 champions. The 1993 baseball team on which he started also won a District 5 title and advanced to the state’s final four.
Still, it was on the gridiron that he would continue to make a name for himself after graduation from high school. At Penn State, Nastasi lettered four consecutive seasons for the Nittany Lions. In his freshman year, he scored his first career touchdown on a fake field goal that keyed the home win over Michigan.
In his last three seasons (1996-98), he started at wide receiver and finished his career with 45 receptions for 741 yards, 16.5 yards per catch, and seven touchdowns. He played in January 1 bowl games with the Nittany Lions each of his four years.
Nastasi signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns in the spring of 1999, and he spent all of camp and most of the preseason with the Browns and played in several exhibition games.
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Class of 2019
Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford County, Pennsylvania