Victory Bell Rings
Fansided

Penn State football: 10 Nittany Lions who defined Linebacker U

By Josh Yourish

5 Sep 1998: Outside linebacker LaVar Arrington #11 of the Penn State Nittany Lions in action during a game against the Southern Mississippi State Golden Eagles at the Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. The Nittany Lions defeated the Golden
5 Sep 1998: Outside linebacker LaVar Arrington #11 of the Penn State Nittany Lions in action during a game against the Southern Mississippi State Golden Eagles at the Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. The Nittany Lions defeated the Golden /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 10
Next
Sep 9, 2006; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end (89) John Carlson is tackled by Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker (40) Dan Connor in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports © copyright Matthew Emmons
Sep 9, 2006; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end (89) John Carlson is tackled by Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker (40) Dan Connor in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports © copyright Matthew Emmons /

Penn State: 2004-07

NFL: 2008-13

Though Connor may not have been oozing athletic talent like many of his great teammates at the linebacker position, he was Mr. Consistent in the middle of the Penn State defense and an excellent player in his own right. In 2006 Connor and teammate Paul Posluszny both recorded over 100 tackles from the linebacker position, the first Penn State duo to ever accomplish that feat in the same season, and were both named first-team All-Americans.

The next year with Posluszny off to the NFL, Connor amassed a staggering 145 tackles and won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player, continuing a three-year streak of Nittany Lions claiming that hardware.

Home/Penn State Football