UNIVERSITY PARK — As the leading tackler in Penn State history and the current linebackers coach at a place commonly referred to as Linebacker U, it’s safe to say Dan Connor knows what it takes to play linebacker at Penn State.
He did so with great skill from 2004-2007 when he amassed 419 tackles and won the 2007 Bednarik Award which marked the third year in a row the award was won by a Nittany Lion defender, joining teammate Paul Posluszny, who who won it in 2005 and 2006.
Connor went on to play parts of six NFL seasons before injuries took their toll. From there, he joined the coaching ranks and eventually coming to Penn State as an analyst four years ago.
When discussing the greats to play linebacker in the blue and white, Connor’s name continues to be at or near the top of nearly every list. But for his version of Mount Rushmore, he certainly wasn’t willing to put his name in the ring.
“Shane Conlan, Paul, LaVar Arrington, Sean Lee,” Connor said following Tuesday’s practice. “I’m leaving too many out. It’s too hard to do. Each era was different, but there were some greats so the the more recent ones are fresher in my mind.”
His four primarily came from the late 1990s and early 2000s and he was a teammate of both Lee and Posluszny. But Conlan was a guy who Connor began to respect even more once he got to campus.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“Growing up, watching some of those older guys, and then getting here and getting to meet, Shane Conlan and see some of his tape,” Connor said. “It’d be hard to pick but it’s an impressive list. You could put, there’s probably 10 different faces you could put on there.”
The list of great Penn State linebackers seemingly goes on forever, but his list is quite a collection:
Conlan – Conlan was a member of both national championship teams for Penn State as a redshirt in 1982 and as one of Penn State’s best players against Miami in 1986’s undefeated season. Conlan intercepted Vinny Testaverde twice, with the second one being returned to the 5-yard line to set up D.J. Dozier’s game-winning touchdown. He was a two-time All-American in 1985 and 1986 and was selected in the first round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills
Arrington – Arrington will forever be known for the LaVar Leap, but he helped continue the legacy of Linebacker U in his three years with Penn State. He won the Bednarik Award, Butkus Award and Lambert Award in 1999 and was selected second overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2000 NFL Draft. The player selected first was his teammate Courtney Brown.
Posluszny – Posluszny won back-to-back Bednarik Awards and was once the all-time leading tackler for Penn State until Connor dethroned him. Posluszny and Connor were key figures in Penn State returning to national prominence with its 2005 Orange Bowl win over Florida State
Lee – Lee averaged over 100 tackles per season in his three seasons he was healthy enough to play. He tore his right ACL in spring practice in 2008 and had a partially torn left ACL as well. When healthy, Lee was a monster at linebacker and was a two-year captain even with being injured for the 2008 season.
