NITTANY LION HISTORY AWARDS & HONORS ➤ Heisman Trophy John Cappelletti, tailback on the unbeaten and untied 1973 Penn State team, was the recipient of the 1973 Heisman Trophy. Cappelletti received the coveted award and dedicated it to his younger brother, Joey, a leukemia victim, in a moving acceptance speech in Dec-ember 1973, in New York City. The Heisman Memorial Trophy is awarded annually by the Downtown Athletic Club of New York City to “the outstanding intercollegiate football player in the United States.” Originally the D.A.C. Trophy, it was renamed after the death of John W. Heisman, then director of athletics at the Downtown Athletic Club, in October 1936. Heisman was a coach at Auburn, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Pennsylvania, Rice, and Washington and Jefferson, among other colleges. Fifteen other Penn State players have finished in the Top 10 in Heisman Trophy balloting. Quarterback Michael Robinson placed fifth in 2005. ➤ Bednarik Award
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Linebacker Dan Connor won the 2007 Chuck Bednarik Award, giving Penn State three consecutive Bednarik honorees. The award is presented to the nation’s top defensive player. Paul Posluszny became the second two-time winner of the Bednarik Award in 2005 and ‘06. Linebacker LaVar Arrington was awarded the Bednarik in 1999. The Bednarik Award has been presented since 1994 by the Maxwell Football Club of Philadelphia in honor of Chuck Bednarik, a two-way standout at the University of Pennsylvania and with the National Football League Philadelphia Eagles (1949-62). The winner is chosen by a national selection committee comprised of coaches and the media, as well as members of the Maxwell Club. ➤ Biletnikoff Award Penn State wide receiver Bobby Engram was the recipient of the first Biletnikoff Award, initially presented in February 1995. Named for Fred Biletnikoff, the award honors the nation’s top wide receiver. A standout for Florida State University and the National Football League Oakland Raiders, Biletnikoff is a member of
Year
Penn Stater (Top 10 Finish)
1959 Rich Lucas, qb (2) 1968 Ted Kwalick, te (4) 1969 Mike Reid, dt (5) 1971 Lydell Mitchell, rb (5) 1972 John Hufnagel, qb (6) 1973 1978 Chuck Fusina, qb (2) 1982 Todd Blackledge, qb (6) Curt Warner, rb (10) 1986 D.J. Dozier, rb (8) 1989 Blair Thomas, tb (10) 1994 Ki-Jana Carter, tb (2) Kerry Collins, qb (4) 1997 Curtis Enis, tb (6) 1999 LaVar Arrington, olb (9) 2002 Larry Johnson, tb (3) 2005 Michael Robinson, qb (5)
Heisman Trophy Winner Billy Cannon, LSU, b O.J. Simpson, Southern California, rb Steve Owens, Oklahoma, rb Pat Sullivan, Auburn, qb Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska, flk John Cappelletti, Penn State, rb Billy Sims, Oklahoma, rb Herschel Walker, Georgia, rb Vinny Testaverde, Miami (Fla.), qb Andre Ware, Houston, qb Rashaan Salaam, Colorado, rb Charles Woodson, Michigan, cb Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, rb Carson Palmer, Southern California, qb Reggie Bush, Southern California, rb ➤ John Cappelletti
the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The award is sponsored by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation of Tallahassee, Fla. Established in 1994, Biletnikoff Award candidates must “display leadership and self-discipline, have a significant positive impact on his team’s success as well as have a desire and commitment to be the best player he can be.” The owner of 12 school records at the time, Engram was one of three finalists for the 1995 Biletnikoff Award. ➤ Burlsworth Trophy Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin was the recipient of the 2012 Burlsworth Trophy, presented to the nation’s outstanding football player who began his career as a walk-on. The Rotary Club of Springdale (Ark.) initiated the award in 2010 in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, a walk-on offensive lineman at Arkansas, who earned AllAmerican honors in 1998. He died in an automobile accident 11 days after being selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the 63rd overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft.
PENN STATE FOOTBALL 2014
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➤ Butkus Award Penn State outside linebacker LaVar Arrington was the initial Nittany Lion to win the Butkus Award as the nation’s premier linebacker in 1999, the same season that his teammate, Brandon Short, was a finalist for the honor. In 2005, outside linebacker Paul Posluszny claimed the second Butkus Award for “Linebacker U.” He also was a finalist for the 2006 honor. Dan Connor was a finalist for the award in 2007. The Butkus Award has been given annually since 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando and honors one of the greatest linebackers in the history of collegiate and professional football, Dick Butkus. The winner is chosen by a national media selection committee. The tandem of finalists from Penn State for the ‘99 Butkus Award marked the first time one school had two finalists for the honor. Nittany Lions’ All-American Shane Conlan was a finalist for the 1986 Butkus Award, while All-American Andre Collins was a finalist in 1989.
➤ Walter Camp Player-of-the-Year Penn State senior tailback Larry Johnson won the 2002 Walter Camp Player-of-theYear Award. First presented in 1967, Johnson became the second Nittany Lion to receive the prestigious honor, joining John Cappelletti in 1973. The award is sponsored by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, which annually selects the nation’s oldest All-America team, with the first team chosen in 1889. The Foundation honors the legacy of Walter Camp, “The Father of American Football,” who played and coached football at Yale and served on the football rules committee for most of his life. Camp was instrumental in bringing organization and stature to the college game and was one of the sport’s most influential people from the beginning of his playing days in 1876 until his death in 1925. 1973 . . . . . . . . . . . .John Cappelletti, rb 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Larry Johnson, tb