We Got Spirit Yes We Do

We Got Spirit, How 'bout you?

Penn State's senior class has been honored by the Maxwell Football Club, winning the Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award as a collective unit.

Maxwell Football Club President Ron Jaworski has announced that the 2012 senior members of the Penn State football team will be honored as winners of the Club’s Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award in recognition of their commitment, leadership and outstanding effort during this season.
Penn State completed the 2012 season, its first under Coach Bill O’Brien, with an 8-4 record, winning eight of its final 10 games. The Nittany Lions were 6-2 in Big Ten Conference play, with the only setbacks coming to division winners Ohio State and Nebraska. Under O’Brien, the Big Ten-Dave McClain Coach of the Year, Penn State finished the season by defeating eventual Big Ten champion Wisconsin, 24-21 in overtime, on Senior Day.

“The senior leaders at Penn State demonstrated incredible commitment, character and effort during the past year, and what they accomplished on the field this fall is just astonishing”, said Jaworski.

“With the difficult circumstances surrounding the program it would have been easy for many of these players to look for a different situation to finish their college careers. But they chose to stay and support their teammates, coaches and university. The spirit and courage demonstrated in their actions is worthy of recognition with the Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award. They are a very special group of young men.”

The actual award will be presented in Atlantic City on March 1, 2013.

With O'Brien winning the Big Ten Coach of the Year, and McGloin capturing the Burlsworth Award, there's a lot of hardware coming to Happy Valley despite no bowl game.

Congratulations Seniors!

Awarding Matt McGloin

Matt McGloin may not be leading his team into a bowl game this season, but he will be holding a trophy nonetheless.

McGloin has won the Burlsworth Award, named for former Arkansas lineman Brandon Burlsworth.  The award is given to the top college football player who started his career as a walk-on.

From the AP:

McGloin helped the Nittany Lions to an 8-4 record this season, setting school records for yards passing (3,266) and touchdowns (24) in a season. The senior also holds the school mark for career passing touchdowns (46).

The West Scranton (Pa.) native's only scholarship offer out of high school was from Lehigh. He helped Penn State win eight of its final 10 games this season, throwing for at least 200 yards and a touchdown in all 12 games.

The other finalists were Michigan safety Jordan Kovacs and San Jose State offensive tackle David Quessenberry.

CONGRATULATIONS MATT!

McGloin Named Player of the Week

Matt McGloin was named the B1G Ten Player of the Week despite not taking the NCAA free ticket to anywhere but State College.  Does that make him a B1G Mac?

McGloin has looked like a different quarterback this season under the leadership of new head coach Bill O'Brien, and he turned in his best performance Saturday in Penn State's 24-13 victory against Temple at Beaver Stadium. He completed 24 of 36 passes for a career-high 318 yards and accounted for three touchdowns (2 rush, 1 pass). His yards total ranks ninth in team history, and he tied predecessor Daryll Clark for the second most 300-yard passing games in team history with his third. McGloin spread the ball to nine receivers, a season high for him, and found top targets Allen Robinson and Kyle Carter five times each. He also matched his career total for rushing touchdowns in the game, recording his first since 2010. "I definitely think it was one of the better games of my career," he said afterward.

Congratulations Matt!

Paterno Wins Award Posthumously

Joe Paterno has been named the 2012 recipient of the Dick Enberg Award by CoSIDA.

Joe Paterno, who guided The Pennsylvania State University to 409 victories during his 46-year head coaching tenure from 1966 through 2011, will be posthumously honored as the recipient of the 2012 Dick Enberg Award, presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Coach Paterno's son, Jay Paterno, will accept the honor on his family's behalf as part of the third annual Capital One Special Awards Gala on Monday, June 25th at CoSIDA's annual convention in St. Louis, Mo.

Joe Paterno was voted as the recipient of the Dick Enberg Award by CoSIDA's Special Awards Committee in March 2011 but was unable to attend last summer's workshop in Marco Island, Fla. to receive the honor. He was planning to appear at this year's event in St. Louis before passing away in January after a battle with lung cancer.

"I'm sincerely pleased that the Paterno family will accept the Enberg Award on behalf of Coach Joe Paterno," Enberg said of this year's honor. "The award was established to recognize those that embody my passion and commitment to academics and athletics. Coach Paterno's amazing record in that regard speaks of his greatness as a national leader in sport and education, and I'm deeply honored that his name will be associated with the meaning of this award."

For those who may not know, CoSIDA stands for the College Sports Information Directors of America.

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), now in its 56th year, was founded in 1957-making it the second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics. Today, it is a vibrant 2,800-plus member national association comprised of the sports public relations, communications and information professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada.

CoSIDA has two primary missions: 1) Help the communications and media relations professionals at all collegiate levels with professional development and continuing education as it relates to strategically dealing in an effective manner with the various issues, challenges and opportunities that now exist within the fast-paced and ever-changing communications environment. 2) Play a significant leadership and resource role (i.e. "Strategic Communicators for College Athletics") within the overall enterprise of collegiate athletics.

CoSIDA founded in the mid 1950's the highly regarded "Academic All-America®" program, unquestionably viewed as the premier awards program in intercollegiate athletics for honoring combined academic and athletic excellence. CoSIDA, which became an affiliated partner with NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics) in December of 2008, continues to fully manage and administer that program today.

Congratulations Coach Paterno!

Paterno Nominated for Award

Per the CDT:

U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R Howard Township, nominated Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a letter sent Thursday to President Barack Obama.

“There has never been an accusation of corrupt recruiting and, in what is depressingly rare, his players stay in school and graduate,” says the letter, which praises Pater-no’s generosity and support of the Pennsylvania Special Olympics.

Sixteen Pennsylvania representatives — most of the state’s delegation — endorsed the nomination along with Penn State almunus Rep. Frank Wolf, of Virginia.

“This is really unusual,” Thompson spokeswoman Tina Kreisher said Saturday. “It takes somebody like Paterno to inspire folks to this level.”

Award Honors Paterno

The Maxwell Football Club (not to be confused with the Maxwell House Coffee Club) has announced a new award, named in honor of Joe Paterno.

The Maxwell Football Club is establishing the Joseph V. Paterno Award, which will be presented annually to a college football coach who has had a great impact on his university, players, community and state. Specific criteria for the award have yet to be determined.

The 83-year-old Paterno is major college football's winningest coach with 394 victories over 44 seasons. The Hall of Famer said Friday that he was deeply honored by the newly named award.

Penn State led all Top 25 teams in 2009 with an 89 percent federal graduation rate, according to NCAA data. The Paterno family is also well-known in Happy Valley for philanthropy, including giving more than $4 million to the university during the coach's tenure to fund endowed faculty positions, scholarships and other academic and building projects.

How many coaches in any sport--or any individual in particular not limited to sports for that matter--can match the list of accolades Paterno has amassed--Hall of Fame, Career victories, statue, Library, and now a prestigious award--and received these honors not only while still alive, but while still active in his profession?

He just keeps Joe-ing and Joeing, and Joeing . . .

Clark Wins the Silver . . . Football

Congratulations to Daryll Clark for winning the Chicago Tribune's Silver Football for the conference's Most Valuable Player.

After the votes of the 11 Big Ten coaches were tabulated, two players earned the exact same count -- three first-place votes and one second, for seven points.

What to do? Every year since its inception in 1924 (first winner: Harold "Red" Grange), the Tribune Silver Football trophy had been awarded to only one man. No need to slice it in two. Either the Big Ten office or the Tribune sports staff would break the tie.

But this year the Tribune decided that both players were worthy, so, in keeping with the spirit of the award, we have altered that policy.

Besides, would you like to tell Brandon Graham, Michigan's 263-pound defensive end, that in this case a tie equals a loss? Didn't think so.

As announced Tuesday night on the Big Ten Network, Graham and Daryll Clark, Penn State's personable fifth-year quarterback, are the 2009 Tribune Silver Football winners.

Kind of appropriate for a league that recognizes Co-champions. This is the first time since the award was started in 1924 that this has happened. Either way, it's nice to see Clark get some recognition.

Penn State has a nice summary of Clark's stats on GoPSUsports.com.

Other notes: Odrick, Bowman and Royster also received votes. Kerry Collins (1994) and Michael Robinson (2005) are previous winners of this award.

Curt Warner was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Former Penn State All-America tailback Curt Warner, the Nittany Lions' career rushing yardage leader, will gain induction in the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame on Tuesday, Dec. 8. Warner is the 17th Penn State player to receive college football's ultimate honor.

Congratulations Curt!

Award Winning Nittany Lions

According to this article in the CDT, Daryll Clark has been awarded the team's MVP Award. Other awards are as noted.

A two-time first team All- Big Ten honoree, Clark was presented the Outstanding Senior Player Award to highlight the State College Quarterback Club’s annual banquet honoring the Nittany Lion football team.

Other award winners were: tackleDennis Landolt (Richard Maginnis Memorial Award for outstanding offensive lineman); punterJeremy Boone(John Bruno, Jr. Memorial Award for outstanding member of special teams); linebacker Sean Lee(Ridge Riley Award to senior for sportsmanship, scholarship, leadership and friendship); defensive endJerome Hayes(Robert B. Mitinger, Jr. Award for senior who exhibits courage, character and social responsibility); Linebacker Josh Hulland defensive tackleJared Odrick(Quarterback Club Special Awards); defensiveendTom Golarzand receiverPatrick Mauti (Walk-on Award for walk-on players who exemplify total commitment, loyalty, hard work and courage) and kick snapperAndrew Pitz(The Nittany Lion Club Academic Achievement Award for the senior with the highest GPA).

In addition to the player awards, former Nittany Lion All-American linebacker Brandon Short was presented the Alumni Athlete Award.

Congratulations!