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Posluszny Among Walter Camp Candidates |
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Written by Penn State Sports Information
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Saturday, 19 August 2006 |
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., August 18, 2006 - All-America outside linebacker Paul Posluszny (Aliquippa) is among 35 "players to watch" for the The Walter Camp Football Foundation's Player of the Year Award, the nation's fourth-oldest individual college football honor.
During the 2005 season, Posluszny was a consensus first team All-American and winner of the
Butkus and Bednarik Awards, presented to the nation's top linebacker and defensive player, respectively. The 2006 Big Ten and consensus national pre-season Defensive Player of the Year, he is ranked No. 5 on the Watch List for the Heisman Trophy by Lindy's Football. A first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American last year, Posluszny is is one of 10 defensive players on the Walter Camp Player of the Year list.
The only junior finalist for the 2005 Rotary Lombardi Award, Posluszny is the seventh Nittany Lion to earn first team All-America and Academic All-America honors. He is one of the squad's top students with a 3.57 grade point average in finance through the spring semester. Posluszny has made the Dean's List in five of his initial six semesters and is on schedule to graduate in December, 3 1/2 years after enrolling at Penn State.
Posluszny is the 12th linebacker to earn first team All-America honors at "Linebacker U" under Coach Joe Paterno. He is a member a group of former Penn State linebackers that includes: Dennis Onkotz, Jack Ham, Greg Buttle, Shane Conlan, LaVar Arrington and Brandon Short as first team All-Americans.
The former Hopewell High School standout led Penn State with 116 tackles last season and has 256 career stops, needing 88 to pass Greg Buttle and become the school's career leader. Posluszny is only the fourth Nittany Lion to record 100 or more hits in consecutive seasons.
During the 2005 season, Posluszny became the first Big Ten student-athlete selected Football Player of the Week (Offense, Defense or Special Teams) three consecutive weeks since the conference began the selections in 1987.
Posluszny is Penn State's first two-time team captain since Mike Reid and Steve Smear in 1969.
In his 41st season as head coach, Paterno's squad returns 34 lettermen and 11 starters for the 2006 season, which begins Sept. 2 vs. Akron at 3:30 p.m. in Beaver Stadium. "Penn State Football Eve presented by Sheetz" will be held on Sept. 1 in and around the stadium starting at 6:00 p.m.
A limited number of tickets remain for the Akron and Temple (Nov. 11) games, while the remaining five contests in the 107,282-seat Beaver Stadium are sold out. Tickets are available at www.GoPSUsports.com or by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336 weekdays from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
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