The Joe Paterno era was quite a long one in Happy Valley and it didn’t exactly have a happy ending. While we don’t spend my time reflecting on the coach, it is worth reflecting on the great players that came through the Penn State football program from 1966-2011.
During his 46-year tenure, Paterno won two national championships (1982, 1986), and he coached 36 bowl games. He only had five losing seasons and prior to sanctions had a career record of 409-136-3.
You’ll notice a trend in this list of the top 15 players from that extensive era, a lot of linebackers and running backs. There were certainly plenty of great Oklahoma drills in practice over the years. The Nittany Lions have an identity and it starts with those two positions, the ones that Paterno valued.
Honorable Mention: Evan Royster
- Career rushing yards: 3,932 (1st)
- Career YPC: 5.7
- Career rushing touchdowns: 29
- Career scrimmage yards: 4,494
The end of the Paterno era was far from the peak, but Royster was part of two 11-win teams in 2008 and 2009. Royster was the focal point of those teams on offense and had three straight seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards.
Royster was efficient with his career average of 5.7 yards per carry, but he never had a dominant season. 2008 was his best year when he finished third in the Big 10 in rushing yards with 1,236 yards and 12 touchdowns with an average of 6.5 yards per carry.
He deserves mention on this list as Penn State’s all-time leading rusher, but he was more of a compiler than a superstar. Royster was drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft by Washington.
No. 15 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Todd Blackledge (1980-82)
- Career passing yards: 4,812
- Career passing touchdowns: 41
- 1982 Davey O’Brien Award
Blackledge is 11th all-time in passing yards in Penn State history and has as many interceptions as touchdowns (41-41), but his 1982 season warrants a spot on this list. Blackledge threw for 2,218 yards and 22 touchdowns and led the Nittany Lions to the national championship with a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.
In that game, Blackledge went 13 of 23 passing for 228 yards and a touchdown including the clincher on a play-action pass to Gregg Garrity in the fourth quarter.
Blackledge was named the MVP of the Sugar Bowl despite Warner’s 177 yards and two touchdowns. He was also awarded the Davey O’Brien Trophy as the nation’s best quarterback. He was selected seventh overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1983 NFL draft.
No. 14 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Dan Connor (2004-07)
- Career tackles: 419 (1st)
- Single-season tackles: 145
- Career interceptions: 4
Even well into the 2000s, Paterno was still getting some of the best linebackers in the entire country. Connor and Paul Posluzny overlapped, and in 2006 both were AP All-Americans, Posluzny first-team and Connor second-team. Connor was also an All-American in 2007.
Like Royster, Connor deserves a spot on this list, not because of one truly dominant year, but because of his career accumulation. Connor is Penn State’s all-time leading tackler with 419 and his 145 tackles in 2007 are the second most in a single season.
Connor was a third-round pick in the 2008 NFL draft.
No. 13 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Mike Reid (1966-69)
- 1969 Consensus All-American
- 1969 John Outland Trophy
- 1969 Maxwell Award
It’s not easy to find statistics for an interior defensive lineman from the 1960s in college football, but the people voting on the major awards in college football were blown away by Reid’s 1969 season and so was the NFL. Reid finished fifth in Heisman voting and was drafted 7th overall in the 1970 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Reid is the greatest defensive lineman in Penn State history and won the 1969 Maxwell Award, which is presented to the best player in college football. Reid played five years in the NFL and was an All-Pro twice.
Reid left the NFL to pursue music. He became an acclaimed songwriter and won the 1984 Grammy for Best Country Song for “Stranger in my House” which was recorded by Ronnie Millsap.
No. 12 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Dennis Onkotz (1966-69)
- 1968 and 1969 Consensus All-American
- Career interceptions: 11 (3 TDs)
- Career punt return average: 13.2 yards
In a way, Dennis Onkotz is the godfather of Linebacker U at Penn State. He was a two-time All-American linebacker and played on the back-to-back 11-0 teams in 1968 and 1969 that won consecutive Orange Bowls.
Onkotz led the team in tackles both seasons with 71 in ’68 and 97 in ’69. He was also a ball-hawk over the middle of the field with 11 picks. The most remarkable part of his career was as a punt returner.
There aren’t many linebackers returning punts, but Onkotz returned 47 in his career for an average of 13.2 yards.
Onkotz played one year in the NFL for the Jets, but his career was ended by injury.
No. 11 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Courtney Brown (1996-99)
- Career sacks: 33 (1st)
- Tackles for loss: 70
- 1999 Consensus All-American
- 1999 Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year
Courtney Brown was dominant as an edge rusher during his time at Penn State. So dominant, that he was drafted first overall in the 2000 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.
Brown, the Nittany Lions’ all-time leader in sacks, never excelled in the NFL. At Penn State, he was a part of great defenses and was at times the most dominant player on the field. A field he shared with LaVar Arrington.
In 1999 Brown had 13.5 sacks and earned the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was also named the MVP of the 1999 Outback Bowl, a Penn State win over Kentucky.
No. 10 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Bobby Engram (1991-95)
- Career receptions: 167
- Career receiving yards: 3,026 (1st)
- 1994 Biletnikoff Award
- 3x All-American (1993, 1994, 1995)
Penn State was typically built on the defensive side of the ball, but between 1991-95, they had a pretty lethal offense. Bobby Engram was a huge part of that. Engram was so dynamic that he is now only fifth in Penn State history in receptions, but is still first in receiving yards by 184 yards.
He averaged a staggering 18.1 yards per reception and in 1994, catching passes from Kerry Collins, he averaged 19.8 yards per catch. He had 1,029 yards on 52 catches with seven touchdowns and won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver.
Engram still leads Penn State in receiving touchdowns with 31 and he was an effective punt returning, racking up 786 career return yards. He led the NCAA in punt return yards in 1993.
No. 9 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Chuck Fusina (1975-78)
- Career passing yards: 5,382
- Career passing touchdowns: 37
- 1978 Consensus All-American
- 1978 Maxwell Award
The 1978 Nittany Lions nearly won the national championship and their quarterback, Chuck Fusina nearly won the Heisman Trophy that year. Penn State went into the Sugar Bowl at 11-0 and No. 1 in the country but lost to Alabama and finished No. 4 at 11-1.
Fusina finished second in Heisman voting that year with 1,859 passing yards and 11 touchdowns. He was actually better statistically in 1977 when Penn State went 11-1 and won the Fiesta Bowl.
That year Fusina was eighth in the country with 2,221 passing yards and threw 15 touchdowns. He didn’t receive any Heisman votes.
Fusina eventually became a USFL star before the league folded.
No. 8 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Curt Warner (1979-82)
- Career rushing yards: 3,398
- Career rushing touchdowns: 24
- Career scrimmage yards: 4,060
Warner ended his career at Penn State with 177 yards and two touchdowns in the 1983 Sugar Bowl. He outplayed Herschel Walker and led the Nittany Lions to the first national championship of the Joe Paterno era and the first since 1912.
That season, Warner ran for 1,041 yards and eight touchdowns, his second consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season and third straight year with 1,000+ scrimmage yards.
The NFL took notice of his final season specifically his final game against Walker. While Walker signed with the USFL, Warner became the third overall pick in the NFL draft, behind future hall-of-famers John Elway and Eric Dickerson.
No. 7 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Kerry Collins (1991-94)
- Career passing yards: 5,304
- Career passing touchdowns: 39
- 1994 Consensus All-American
- 1994 Davey O’Brien Award
- 1994 Maxwell Award
In 1994, Penn State should have gotten a shot at the national championship but was forced to play in the Rose Bowl after joining the Big 10 conference before the 1993 season. Paterno’s team finished the year 12-0 behind Kerry Collins, but No. 2 in the AP Poll.
Collins led the Big 10 in passing yards in his fantastic 1994 season. He threw for 2,679 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging 10.1 yards per attempt. Collins was named the Maxwell Award winner in 1994 but wasn’t even the highest finisher in Heisman voting on the team. He finished fourth for the award.
Collins was drafted fifth overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL Draft, but he wasn’t the highest drafted Nittany Lion either.
No. 6 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Ki-Jana Carter (1992-94)
- Career rushing yards: 2,829
- Career rushing touchdowns: 34
- 1994 Consensus All-American
In 1994, Ki-Jana Carter had a breakout season. He had run for over 1,000 yards in 1993, but his final year at Penn State he went for 1,539 yards on the ground and 23 touchdowns. For his efforts, he finished second in Heisman Trophy voting to Rashaan Salaam.
In Penn State’s 1994 undefeated season, Carter capped off the year with an impressive Rose Bowl. He opened the game with an 83-yard touchdown and finished with 156 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.
That game bolstered his case as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft. The Bengals selected him in that spot a few months after the Rose Bowl victory.
No. 5 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Paul Posluszny (2003-06)
- Career tackles: 336
- 2005 Butkis Award
- 2005 and 2006 Bednarik Award
- 2005 and 2006 Consensus All-American
Posluzny was a part of a resurgence at Penn State. Not just of the linebacker position, but the entire program. In his first two seasons on campus, the team went 3-9 and 4-7, but when Posluszny became a captain in 2005, everything changed.
The Nittany Lions went 11-1 and won the Orange Bowl in 2005, then 9-4 in 2006 with an Outback Bowl win. Posluszny was named the 2005 Butkus Award winner as the nation’s best linebacker and won the 2005 and 2005 Bednarik Awards as the nation’s best defensive player.
He was a Consensus All-American in his junior and senior seasons. Posluszny finished his career as Penn State’s all-time leading tackler but was passed by Dan Connor the next season.
Posluszny was drafted in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills and his NFL career was successful, but he was somewhat limited by injuries.
No. 4 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Shane Conlan (1983-86
- Career tackles: 274
- 2014 College Football Hall of Fame inductee
- 1986 Consensus First-Team All-American
Conlan was a great outside linebacker for LBU his entire career, but his greatest moment came in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl. With a national championship on the line, Conlan had eight tackles and two interceptions in the Nittany Lions’ win over Miami.
With Penn State trailing 10-7 in the fourth quarter, Conlan reeled in his second pick of the game and returned it 38-yards to the Miami five-yard line. That set up D.J. Dozier’s game-winning touchdown run.
Conlan had immediate success in the NFL after being drafted No. 8 overall by the Buffalo Bills in 1987. He was awarded the Defensive Rookie of the Year and made three straight trips to the Pro Bowl the next three years.
No. 3 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: John Cappelletti (1972-73)
- Career rushing yards: 2,639
- Career touchdowns: 29
- 1973 Heisman Trophy
- 1973 Maxwell Award
- 1973 Walter Camp Player of the Year
- 1973 Consensus All-American
- 1993 College Football Hall of Fame inductee
Penn State has a storied history on the football field, but only one Heisman Trophy winner, John Cappelletti. In 1973 he ran for 1,522 yards and 17 touchdowns on 286 carries. It was just his second season playing at Penn State.
He led Penn State to a perfect 12-0 season and an Orange Bowl win in his acclaimed 1973 season. The Nittany Lions finished No. 5 in the country that year.
His Heisman trophy acceptance speech was unforgettable. He dedicated the award to his younger brother Joey who was dying of leukemia.
Cappelletti was drafted 11th overall by the LA Rams in the 1974 NFL draft.
No. 2 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: Jack Ham (1968-70)
- Career Tackles: 251
- 1970: 91 tackles and four interceptions
- 1970 Consensus All-American
- 1990 College Football Hall of Fame inductee
In 1967, Joe Paterno’s second season, Jack Ham was the last player chosen for a scholarship. That decision certainly paid off. In Ham’s three seasons on the field, 1968, 1969, and 1970, Penn State went 11-0, 11-0, and 9-4.
1970 was Ham’s best statistical season with 91 tackles and four interceptions which earned him honors as a Consensus All-American. Ham was a team captain that season.
Ham is better known for his NFL accomplishments, winning four Super Bowls across 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a six-time NFL All-Pro.
He takes the No. 2 spot on this list because he is the only player in Penn State history to be inducted into both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
No. 1 greatest player of Joe Paterno era: LaVar Arrington (1998-99)
- Career tackles: 173
- Career sacks: 19
- Career interceptions: 3
- 2022 College Football Hall of Fame inductee
- 1999 Bednarik Award
- 1999 Butkus Award
- 1999 Consensus First-Team All-American
- 1998 First-Team All-American
After winning the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore in 1998, LaVar Arrington took his play to the next level in 1999. As a junior, he won the Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player.
His final year in Happy Valley, he led Penn State to an Alamo Bowl win and a No. 11 finish. Arrington became known for the “LaVar Leap” where he would time up the opponent’s snap count and jump over the offensive line to make a tackle.
Arrington was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2000 NFL draft by Washington. He made three Pro Bowls in the NFL.