Penn State, Linebacker U & the College Football HOF: 3 players, 1 coach make prestigious ballot
Penn State, affectionately known as “Linebacker U,” is living up to its namesake when it comes to the ballot for college football’s highest career honor.
Two of the Nittany Lions’ most decorated linebackers, former All-Americans LaVar Arrington and Paul Posluszny, were named as first-timers Wednesday on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame. They’ll join PSU ballot staples in offensive guard Steve Wisniewski, who’s been on the ballot since 2010, and divisional coach Glenn Killinger, a 1920s graduate who’s already in the Hall as a player.
Some 78 players and seven coaches from the FBS are on the 2022 ballot, with 99 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks. Every year, fewer than 20 players and coaches are inducted.
“It’s an enormous honor to just be on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot considering more than 5.47 million people have played college football and only 1,038 players have been inducted,” said Steve Hatchell, president and CEO of the National Football Foundation, which helps oversee the College Football HOF.
Penn State has had 19 players — and six coaches — inducted into the Hall, most recently quarterback Kerry Collins in the Class of 2018. (Some lists say only five PSU coaches are in the Hall, but that excludes former player Bill Bowes, who was enshrined as New Hampshire’s head coach in 2016.)
Fans of the Nittany Lions will still have to do a fair bit of waiting before discovering whether Arrington, Posluszny and Co. will make the Hall. That announcement is not expected to be made until early 2022; 2021’s honorees were named Jan. 11 of this year with the awards dinner set to be held Dec. 7 in Las Vegas.
Still, Arrington and Posluszny should be two strong contenders. Here’s a look at each of Penn State’s four candidates:
LB LaVar Arrington (All-American seasons in 1998, 1999): You can’t mention Penn State’s historical defenses without bringing up arguably its best-ever defensive player. Arrington’s 1999 season was one for the record books: He won the Butkus, Bednarik and Lambert awards. He finished ninth in the Heisman voting. And he ended the season with 20 tackles-for-loss, nine sacks and two blocked kicks. His 1998 season wasn’t too shabby, either: He was part of the “play of the year” for his leaping tackle of an Illinois ball-carrier, and he was the first sophomore to ever be named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He was drafted No. 2 overall by Washington, where he became a three-time Pro Bowler.
LB Paul Posluszny (All-American seasons in 2005, 2006): Not everyone thinks Arrington is Penn State’s best. Hall of Famer Jack Ham previously told the CDT he felt Posluszny was the university’s “best-ever” linebacker. After all, the mild-mannered Aliquippa product was one of just two players to ever twice win the Bednarik Award. (Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, who was inducted into the HOF in 2008, is the other.) He also won the 2005 Butkus Award, currently ranks second all-time in school history tackles (372) and boasts 34 career tackles for loss. He had an 11-year NFL career and remains the Jacksonville Jaguars’ all-time leading tackler.
OG Steve Wisniewski (All-American seasons in 1986, 1987): Known for being tough, gritty — and, OK, a little dirty — the three-year starter played a pivotal role in the Nittany Lions’ 1986 national championship. As a team captain in 1988, he was named team MVP and remains one of just two OL to earn the PSU honor since it started in 1978. He opened up holes for two All-American running backs, and he went on to become an eight-time Pro Bowler and part of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team.
Coach Glenn Killinger: As a player, he helped Penn State to undefeated seasons in 1920 and 1921, earning All-America honors in his final season. He was named to the College Football HOF as a player in 1971. But he’s on the ballot this time, separately as a coach, for coaching small schools after a Penn State playing career that also saw him letter in baseball and basketball. He coached at Dickinson (1922), Rensselaer (1927-32), Moravian (1933) and West Chester (1934-41, 45-59). He is the winningest coach in West Chester history and, overall, suffered only one losing season in 37 years.
To be considered for the Hall of Fame, a number of criteria must be met. Among them: Must be 10 years removed from intercollegiate football, must have at least one All-America season, must have played within the last 50 years, and nominations may only be submitted by the current athletic director, head coach or sports information director of a potential candidate’s collegiate institution. There can also be only three player nominees per program.
Other first-timers on the ballot this year include USC running back Reggie Bush, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore.
After it’s announced next year, the Class of 2022 will be honored Dec. 6, 2022.
This story was originally published June 2, 2021 at 4:15 PM.
