Penn State is known as Linebacker U. For good reason.
The Nittany Lions have had 24 linebackers selected in the first three rounds of NFL drafts – five in the first, nine in the second and 10 in the third. Ten of those linebackers became Pro Bowlers and two, Jack Ham and Dave Robinson, became Hall of Famers. Ham also was named to the NFL’s 100th anniversary team.
LaVar Arrington (1999) and Paul Posluszny (205) won Butkus Awards as the best linebacker in college football and Dan Connor (2007) joined Arrington and Posluszny as winners of the Bednarik Award as the college game’s best defender. Dennis Onkotz and Shane Conlan join Ham in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Matt Millen was a defensive tackle at Penn State but became a standup linebacker in the NFL, winning four Super Bowl rings with three teams – the Raiders, 49ers and Redskins. And Micah Parsons, was the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after the Dallas Cowboys made him the 39th first-round pick in Penn State history.
Penn State had the top two selections in the 2000 NFL draft, defensive end Courtney Brown first and Arrington second. Running back Curt Warner was the third overall pick of the 1983 draft. Six Nittany Lions have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame. In addition to Ham and Robinson, Penn State has two guards in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Mike Munchak and Mike Michalske) and two halfbacks (Franco Harris and Lenny Moore).
Here’s is the all-time Penn State NFL team:
QB–Kerry Collins, Led 2000 Giants to Super Bowl
HB–Franco Harris, Hall of Fame
FB–Sam Gash, 2 Pro Bowls
WR–Lenny Moore, Hall of Fame
*-WR—Allen Robinson, Pro Bowl, 495 career catches
TE–Ted Kwalick, 3 Pro Bowls
T–Stew Barber, 5-time AFL all-star
T–Irv Pankey, 12 seasons, 122 career starts
G–Mike Munchak, Hall of Fame
G–Mike Michalske, Hall of Fame
C–Bill Lenkaitis, 14-year career
DE–Tamba Hali, 5 Pro Bowls, 89 ½ career sacks
DE–Cameron Wake, 5 Pro Bowls, 92 career sacks
DT–Rosey Grier, Member of Rams’ “Fearsome Foursome”
DT–Pete Kugler, 5-time champ – 3 in NFL, 2 in USFL
OLB–Jack Ham, Hall of Fame
MLB–Matt Millen, 4-time Super Bowl champion
OLB–Dave Robinson, Hall of Fame
CB–David Macklin, 9-year starter, 14 interceptions
CB–Paul Lankford, 10-year starter, 13 interceptions
S–Darren Perry, 8-year starter, 35 interceptions
S–Mike Zordich, 12 seasons, 20 interceptions
K–Matt Bahr, 1,422 career points in 17 seasons
P–Ralph Giacomarro, 4 seasons, 185 punts, 41.0-yard average
KR–O.J. McDuffie, 219 career returns, 2 TDs
ST–Tim Shaw, Chicago Bears record 30 special-teams tackles in 2009
*-Still Active
