Former Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny is elected to College Football Hall of Fame
Jan. 8—Former Penn State All-American linebacker Paul Posluszny has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, it was announced Monday.
Posluszny was a two-time All-American in 2005-06 and became the second two-time winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award, presented annually to the nation's top defensive player by the Maxwell Football Club.
He won the 2005 Butkus Award and was a finalist in 2006. He also was a two-time finalist for the Lombardi Award, presented to the nation's top lineman or linebacker.
Posluzny passed Greg Buttle as Penn State's all-time leading tackler in 2006 and finished his college career with 372 tackles. Teammate Dan Connor, now a defensive analyst on the Nittany Lions coaching staff, passed Posluszny the following season and finished with 419.
Posluszny went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Posluszny and guard Jeff Hartings are the only Penn State players to earn first-team All-America and Academic All-America honors twice.
Posluszny is the 27th Penn State player or coach to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Former West Chester and Bloomsburg University coach Danny Hale also was elected, it was announced Monday. Hale coached the Golden Rams from 1984-88 and the Huskies from 1993-2012, compiling a 213-69-1 record.
Posluszny and Hale will be inducted Dec. 10 at a dinner in Las Vegas.
The other players in their class are Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon, UCLA tailback Paul Cameron, Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch, Florida State running back Warrick Dunn, Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards, Colorado cornerback Deon Figures, Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Stanford running back Toby Gerhart and Arkansas defensive tackle Dan Hampton.
Also elected were Michigan guard Steve Hutchinson, Alabama cornerback Antonio Langham, Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss, North Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers, Oklahoma nose guard Dewey Selmon, Utah quarterback Alex Smith, Texas A&M cornerback Kevin Smith, Ohio State offensive tackle Chris Ward and Chadron State running back Danny Woodhead.
The other coaches in the class are Mark Dantonio of Cincinnati and Michigan State and Frank Solich of Nebraska and Ohio.
