Ten Questions: Hollywood Edition! Mike Pfaff Unleashed!

Two Broke Girls won the Golden Globe for Best New Comedy on the day before Mike Pfaff's debut on the show! And what a debut it was! Rather than rely on the critique of the Hollywood Press, I will rely on his former roommate Artie Gilkes! (I trust him more.)

"Brilliant!  Two Broke Girls needs more Mike Pfaff." - Artie Gilkes.
  also, "I've got a pfever, and the only cure is more Pfaff." - Dave Counts.

I put Mike to the ultimate test of his career with our Ten Questions treatment and he emerged even better than before.

1. What song immediately brings back memories of PSU?

I know this is cliche, but the song that sticks out the most simply is the blue and white song. The biggest piece of inspiration during the home cross country meets would be hearing that song in the distance near the finish line in that last half mile as you're coming up the hill on the golf course.

2. Who was the biggest team clown during your track years?

That's a tough one. I think it would be a split between Dan Ford and Ed Carroll. Dan had this thing where he'd pull his shirt over his head like Beavis doing "The Great Cornholio" from Beavis and Butthead (on a side note I'm so glad they're coming back and so are you Hamer) and he'd have the guys rolling. However Ed decided to give himself a mohawk his freshman year (Coach wasn't too happy with it) and was generally one of those guys who would "go there" to get a rise out of the team, and I have to admit, he did.


3. What was your best PSU Track or XC performance?

For me it would have to be anchoring the DMR at the Big Ten Championships indoors at Purdue University my senior year. I had torn my ankle to shreds right after winning the mile during our opening blue and white indoor meet and was out the whole indoor season. The Big Ten Championships was my second race back off that injury and it was one of those races where you had to dig down and run more off guts than conditioning. At the time it was a PR for me and we placed 5th.


4. How has Coach Groves' tutelage helped you in your current acting career?

Without a doubt, Coach Groves, next to my father, has been the most influential person in my life. So much of who I am and what I've accomplished and hope to accomplish are a result of the values, work ethic, toughness and courage instilled by him. Coach is the hardest, toughest, most inspired person I know, but behind that tough exterior is the most caring, selfless, and ethical man you will ever meet. A piece of his spirit lives in all the athletes who had the privilege to run for him, and they are better men for it. My acting career is completely analogous with my athletic career, so I’m simply doing what he taught me.

( Amen Mike, Amen. PSU never knew what it had with Coach. -Ed..)

5. Do you have any experience with the game of golf?

You mean other than running T to Green? My golf game was limited growing up (as it tends to be for a kid from Hackensack, NJ), but my parents recently retired and moved down to North Carolina on a golf course, so I'm enjoying battling it out with my pop on the course when I visit over the holidays.

(That would make you second man on one of our foursomes! -Ed.)

6. What was your least favorite workout?

You would think it would be Greenwood Furnace, T to Green or 16 x 200m (w/ a jog across the field for recovery), but it actually was that 10 miler we'd do straight out to Toftrees and back at the beginning of the outdoor season. I'd key better off workouts that combined strength, speed and endurance rather than one like that which was more of a 10k/marathoner workout ...my roommate Artie would have a field day with it, that pr*ck.

7. What was your favorite classroom at PSU?

I liked the feel of Schwab Auditorium and the Forum Building, but the Boucke building held a special place in my heart simply because it was where all the student athletes had to go for mandatory study hall my freshman year. It was one of the first of many places we'd go as a team.

8. What was your favorite track road trip while at PSU?

I think that would have to be the Big Ten Cross Country Championships at Ohio State my senior year. It was one of those trips where we played a lot of gags with each other and on coach (lets just say Coach had some issues shifting gears in the van). On the trip back I was somehow able to convince the guys to have this competition on whom could keep pretzel sticks up their nose the longest. We all were hackling a bit too much and Coach blew up and yelled at us with one of his famously unique sayings that I still remember to this day. I won't repeat it verbatim, but lets just say it had something to do with laughing school girls, mirrors, and areas where the sun don't shine.

9. What exercising do you currently do?

I still run, but supplement it with biking, lifting and boxing. I work out with a stunt team so I've had to modify workouts to put on a little more muscle. I am definitely a fitness enthusiast for life... it's pretty hard not to coming out of Penn State’s program.

10. Is Shroedinger's Cat dead or alive?

A paradox such as this one is better left to a brainy physicist like Kevin McGouldrick or a lab nerd like Jonathan Pritchard.

 (Anyone who could help us get in touch with Kevin or Jonathan would be a hero! -Ed.)