‘Special talent’ Nate Romig was a complete player — and a winner
2026 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Nate Romig had other things on his mind that crisp November night at Don Thomas Stadium in 2005, where he and his Daniel Boone teammates were playing their regular season finale.
They had a chance to become the winningest senior class in school history, reach the postseason and – above all else – beat their No. 1 rival and claim the coveted Pig Iron Trophy for the first time in seven years.
“I was never chasing a record,” says Romig, flipping back the pages some 20-plus year. “That wasn’t my mentality. I wanted to win.”
Romig’s focus was never on becoming Berks’ all-time rushing leading. That just sort of happened, the culmination of years of tireless work carrying the load for the Blazers.
| Class of 2026 | |
| Gooch Adams | Wilson |
| Dave Bodolus | Daniel Boone |
| Chuck Brice | Holy Name |
| Pete Gilmore | Wilson |
| Nate Romig | Daniel Boone |
| Dr. Randy Yocum | Sch. Valley |
This historic night it happened quickly. On his second carry against Exeter Romig broke off an 87-yard scoring run. He busted through a big hole, made a linebacker miss, slipped past a defensive back and was on his way to the top of the all-time rushing list.
By the end of the run he had surpassed David Gilmore’s long-standing mark of 4,288 yards. Standing on the sideline after historic run was the former Central Catholic great, graciously waiting to anoint him.
“He was one of the first ones to congratulate me,” Romig recalls of Gilmore. “He gave me some words of encouragement.”
Romig was touched by the gesture. A dozen years later he did the same, making his way to Wilson to extend a hand and some kind words to Iggy Reynoso, who had topped Romig’s career mark.
That was Nate Romig in a nutshell: Unassuming, appreciative, dedicated. Oh, and wildly talented, enough so to earn a spot in the Berks County Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He’ll be inducted June 6, along with fellow Class of 2026 inductees Gooch Adams, Chuck Brice, Pete Gilmore, Dr. Randy Yocum and his Boone head coach, Dave Bodolus.
Romig finished his Daniel Boone career with 4,492 yards, one of 15 program records he established. Among them was his 330-yard performance against Hamburg, his 1,805 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior, his 88-yard punt return score, and his 69 career touchdowns, at the time second-most in Berks history.
He became the first in Berks history with three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, was named Berks Offensive Back of the Year in 2005, and second-team All-State.
He was a four-year starter at defensive back, handled punting duties, and was so good at basketball he was named Berks County’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2006 by the Reading Eagle.
“He was so versatile,” recalls Bodolus. “He could do anything.”
And he did. When he went to college Albright had an established tailback, so he was switched to receiver. He ended leading the team in receptions three times and – as he did in high school – helped lift the Lions to their highest point.
That, not the numbers, is what Romig is most prideful of – his team’s success.
He was a ball boy for the Blazers as a kid but never saw them have a winning season. That trend continued in his freshman year, when he started at defensive back and saw time as an option quarterback.
Everything changed a year later when Bodolus arrived. He moved Romig to tailback, pulled Chris Bokosky – a former quarterback in the system – back into the program, and laid the groundwork for what would become an incredible nine-year run that would see the Blazers win or share three league championships.
“My class was kind of that foundation,” Romig says proudly.
Boone, with Romig rushing for 1,136 yards in 2003, set a program scoring record, finished 6-5 — its first winning finish in 14 years – and made its first playoff appearance.
As a junior Romig rushed for 1,457 yards and scored 21 times. He helped the Blazers match the program record with eight wins, qualify for the District 3 playoffs for the first time and win the Section 2 title – their first championship since 1966.
“Only eight teams (in our class) went to districts,” Romig said. “That was a pretty big achievement if you could make it.”
They won eight games a year later, when Romig set program records with 1,805 yards and 31 TDs and saw his team set a program scoring record by averaging 34.6 points.
He was regarded as one of the best to ever carry the football in Berks.
Hall of Fame coach John Yocum, whose Muhlenberg teams always had their hands full with the Blazers, said Romig had “special talent.”
“He has the ability to maintain great balance, stop, plant, cut and get back to almost full acceleration,” Yocum said on the eve of Romig’s record-breaking performance. “He does a great job of setting up his blocks, and seeing where the daylight is, and getting there. He’s the kind of back you never really get a good hit on.”
“I was impressed with him,” David Gilmore said, “and I was really impressed on the (record-breaking) touchdown (run). Sooner or later, someone is going to come along and break your records. Nate did it with . . . greatness.”
Romig never had much to say about the record, then or now.
“He was very focused on trying to find a way for us to win,” Bodolus said at the time.
That didn’t change at the next level.
Romig had interest from Division 2 colleges coming out of Boone but his priority was to get on the field right away. At Albright he did that, and more.
Playing receiver for the first time, he led the team with 42 receptions, and in touchdowns, as a freshman. He split time between the backfield and at receiver his sophomore season; he had 52 catches and led the team in rushing, kick off returns and touchdowns as the Lions made a huge turnaround under first-year coach John Marzka.
Romig had a team-leading 56 catches the next season as the Lions went 8-3 and shared the Middle Atlantic Conference title with Delaware Valley and Lycoming.
He cemented his spot in the school’s Hall of Fame, and on the D3football.com All-American team, by catching 91 passes for 1,341 yards and leading the team to a program-record 11 wins as a senior in 2009. He had 14 catches for 182 yards in a 27-3 win over Del Val and led the Lions to their first, and only, NCAA quarterfinal appearance.
He finished his collegiate career with 241 receptions, nearly 4,000 receiving yards, more than 5,000 all-purpose yards, and with a program-record 38 scoring catches.
“Albright mimicked what happened with me at Boone,” Romig recalls. “Rough first year, then a new coach comes in and we make an impact. John Marska comes in from Thiel College (in 2007) and the next thing you know, we were (ranked) eighth in the country going against Mount Union in the national quarterfinals.”
“When (then Albright head coach) E.J. (Sandusky) came in (to recruit Romig) I told him Nate’s best position in college might be receiver,” Bodolus said. “He could go up and jump, was so good in his breaks.
“He could’ve been a phenomenal safety; he could’ve been a phenomenal running back. He ended up being a phenomenal receiver. He was just a complete football player. He was a guy who would do anything you ask him, a once-in-a-generation type of talent.”
Berks career rushing leaders
| Nick Singleton | Governor Mifflin | 6,326 | 2018-21 |
| Iggy Reynoso | Hamburg/Wilson | 4,778 | 2014-17 |
| Nate Romig | Daniel Boone | 4,492 | 2002-05 |
| David Gilmore | Central Catholic | 4,288 | 1981-83 |
| Drew Engle | Twin Valley | 4,212 | 2022-25 |
| Cameron Small | Reading/Muhlenberg | 4,117 | 2022-25 |
| Tyler Emge | Fleetwood | 4,097 | 2011-14 |
| Julio Pellegrino | Central Catholic | 3,867 | 1972-74 |
| Brian Roth | Boyertown | 3,861 | 1975-77 |
| Codie Butler | Conrad Weiser | 3,741 | 2006-09 |
| Jason Reinhart | Muhlenberg | 3,703 | 1997-99 |
| Dominic Caruso | Twin Valley | 3,684 | 2018-21 |
| DJ Robinson | Conrad Weiser | 3,667 | 2007-10 |
| Rodney Gillin | Wilson | 3,604 | 2009-11 |
| Jake Stopper | Wilson | 3,510 | 2004-08 |
| Pete Gilmore | Wilson | 3,506 | 1997-99 |
