HUMMELS WHARF - A table full of memorabilia having been marked with his signature in either red, black or silver, Henry Hynoski gladly posed for photos with a few people inside the Susquehanna Valley Mall community room.
Outside, a crowd lined more than half the distance through the huge building cheered his nickname, "Hyno, Hyno," the chorus begetting cheers when the Super Bowl champion emerged into the mall's Bon-Ton North Court and took a seat before beginning an autograph session.
Life is good for the hometown hero.
"It's an honor to be a Super Bowl champion, but there's a lot of work that comes with it," Hynoski said Saturday before meeting with fans, signing at no cost anything they brought.
"You get pulled in 15 different directions, but if we didn't win none of this would be happening."
Hyno's story is the stuff of small-town legend.
The record-setting Southern Columbia High School running back reinvents himself into a blocking back, all in the name of a shot at the NFL. On the cusp of his big break at the scouting combine, he comes up lame with a pulled hamstring.
The draft comes and goes and Hyno becomes a rookie free agent. Instead of sulking, he continues to work and, given a chance with the N.Y. Giants, he makes the team, earns a starting nod and, in an up and down season, plays perhaps his best game on the biggest stage.
In the end, he's due a Super Bowl ring.
"I can't wait. I just know it's coming in April," he said of the coveted jewelry.
'Too adorable!'
Many in the crowd of hundreds - maybe more than 1,000 - could hardly wait to meet the Elysburg native. While the event began at noon, those at the front of the line had been waiting since shortly before 9 a.m.
Theresa and Richard Schetroma, of Coal Township, were Nos. 9 and 10, respectively, in a line that snaked from the Bon-Ton through two wings of the mall all the way to Sears, ending just steps from the department store's entrance.
Theresa's big personality easily captured Hynoski's attention as she handed over a Giants-themed trash can and miniature helmet, all the while holding up her cell phone with a post-Super Bowl photo of Hyno and his dad and taken by Schetroma's son, Jeffrey.
She caused the bruising fullback to chuckle more than once before she left him with this: "You are too adorable!"
Cathy Buchinsky, of the Pottsville area, was fast-talking, too, when she met Hynoski. She's originally from New York and a transplant to the coal region. That worked out well for her as she stuck with the Giants and now has a local to root for.
"When I saw Henry got (signed by) the Giants, I was texting and calling everybody I know to tell them," she said.
In line, too, were Owen Bowersox, 9, of Selinsgrove, and Dominic Cecco, 9, of Winfield, by far the youngest fans at the front of the line. They were excited and just a bit star-struck. That didn't stop either of them from leaving Hyno with a smile and a casual goodbye: "Thanks Hynoski!"
"The people of this area have been unbelievable the whole season," Hynoski said just prior to the event. "This is just kind of my way of giving back to them and just showing them how grateful I am for everything they've done for me, especially in the run to the Super Bowl."
Back to training
Hynoski, entering the second of a three-year contract, begins nine weeks of off-season team workouts April 16. Late July will bring the start of training camp which, for players and fans alike, marks the beginning of every season.
Although he's a returning starter on a championship team, Hynoski isn't taking anything for granted. Already through with a two-week, post-Super Bowl break, he's doing core and agility training with Babe Meyer in Williamsport and lifting weights with Tony Scicchitano, of Mount Carmel.
"You have to make the team in training camp regardless. Technically, every player has to come in, it doesn't matter who you are, and make the team," Hynoski said, proof enough that the touch of fame he's earned hasn't gone to his head.