Penn State Football: 30 greatest players of all-time

In a way, Larry Johnson was destined to be the starting running back for the Penn State Nittany Lions, after dominating in high school in State College. Johnson’s father was an assistant coach at Penn State under Joe Paterno. When it came time for the younger Johnson to choose a school, Penn State was the likely choice for his services.

Johnson was a solid player for Penn State during the beginning of his career, but was not the focal point in the offense during the 1999, 2000 and 2001 seasons. However, Johnson put together an incredible 2002 season that has to go down as one of not only the best in Penn State history, but in the history of college football.

During the 2002 college football season, Johnson made an absolute fool of the Penn State rushing records in a single season. He not only broke Curt Warner’s single-game record of 256 yards, but he proceeded to break his own record repeatedly, rushing for 257, 279, and 327 on different occasions. He became the fastest player in school history to get to 2,000 yards in a season.

For his efforts, Johnson won a bunch of awards, although he did not win the coveted Heisman Trophy. Still, taking home the Doak Walker, Walter Camp, and Maxwell Awards in a single season is quite the accomplishment.

Johnson was obviously named a First-Team All-American. He averaged eight yards per career, and after being selected in the first round in 2003, he would go on to make two Pro Bowls at the NFL level.