Keith ‘Goon’ Conlin talks ‘Rise and Rally,’ 2012 Penn State football team

Keith “Goon” Conlin has been around Penn State football for quite some time.

His brother, Chris, was an All-American on the Nittany Lions’ 1986 national championship squad, and “Goon” started on the offensive line of Penn State’s undefeated 1994 team.

Conlin joined us for this week’s “5 Questions” — discussing the “Rise and Rally” show of support five years ago, Christian Hackenberg and who he believes is the most underrated player from Penn State’s 1994 team.

Q: You were a part of getting together the “Rise and Rally” event back in 2012. In retrospect, what do you think the importance was of that day?

A: It’s probably one of the things I’m most proud of in my Penn State career — having gone to school here, played here, came back to coach here a little bit and then got involved with radio. I was pretty close with that coaching staff as (defensive assistant) John Butler and (strength coach) Craig Fitzgerald went to my high school; we’re lifelong best friends the three of us. It meant a lot to me, but it meant a lot to them, too. They came on our radio show and were trying to tell me and Tim Sweeney, my co-host, ‘Hey, this is how bad it is. The ship’s not sinking, but it’s taking on water. There’s no doubt about it.’ They really, really put it into perspective for us. ... It made me upset because those kids didn’t deserve what they got. Those sanctions were horrendous, and not fair to that team, that staff, all of that stuff. I just felt like — with what Fitz and Butler told me — the kids needed someone to have their back. It didn’t seem like anyone was supporting the team. Outside in our community, everyone was supporting our program. No doubt about that. But our kids needed to realize it. We came up with the idea on a Thursday night, and days later we had five or six thousand people in the parking lot. ... If it was something I could do to help the program, I’d do it again tomorrow.

Q: What was your favorite part about the 2012 team?

A: How they just stood together, having the sanctions levied against them. The whole world was against them, but in the same sense, the whole world was with them supporting them getting through this situation. It could not have started any worse going 0-2 and losing the way they did to Ohio and UVA. But to battle back and have some of those big wins late in the year, it was great for those kids because they didn’t deserve what happened to them.

Q: What do you think Christian Hackenberg’s legacy is here? In the NFL it’s a different story, but he’s a polarizing figure in how Penn State fans view him and how casual college football fans view him.

A: You’ve got guys like (Michael) Mauti, (Michael) Zordich, (Matt) McGloin and Gerald Hodges. They’re seniors going into that year. They couldn’t go anywhere. In the free agency, any kid could transfer and those guys weren’t going to leave. They’re going into their fourth or fifth year in the program. They were staying no matter what. It’s kids like Hackenberg, (Adam) Breneman, (Anthony) Zettel, Jesse James, Donovan Smith, guys that were coming in and young ... they stayed, and I think their legacy should be right up there with those 2012 seniors.

Q: Going back to the ’94 team, who do you think was the most underrated player on that squad?

A: The running back, tight end, they were All-Americans. I guess I may have to go with the fullbacks. Jon Witman and Brian Milne, they were pretty much offensive linemen in the backfield. I’ll say the fullbacks because I can’t be selfish and say the offensive line obviously. We gave up all of three sacks in 1994 total. That’s not just the offensive line. That’s the fullbacks. That’s everybody getting it done.

Q: Now on the current team, they don’t have fullbacks. Who do you think the most underrated player is on the 2017 squad?

A: The offensive line is starting to get credit, and they deserve it. What these guys have gone through, I mean, they had a bad start the last couple years. Now they’re old, bigger, athletic and can actually move the line of scrimmage. It’s fun to see that and watch these guys grow up. They’re starting to dominate.

This story was originally published September 18, 2017 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Keith ‘Goon’ Conlin talks ‘Rise and Rally,’ 2012 Penn State football team."