Who is the most under-appreciated star at Penn State WHILE YOU WERE A STUDENT? *
- Thread starter ChiTownLion
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Chuck Burkhart 1968 and 1969
I will agree with you. He was a winner. He never lost a game he started in high school or college, but he didn't have great numbers. In the 1969 season he threw 1 TD pass. That is not an error. ONE TD, and 9 interceptions, yet he managed to guide us to a 2nd straight undefeated season.
Steve Geise 1978. Last I heard, he was a dentist--the guy who used to sit by me in NF was a patient (one site says doctor, however). Polymer Science major, as I recall.
Not a “star”, but Booker Moore was a solid player who goes unremembered. He was good enuf to get an NFL paycheck too.
I sat between Bauer and John Schaefer to take the GMAT in Spring 87
1991 - Sam Gash
Very good player at PSU and had a solid NFL career. Back when fullbacks still existed.
Very good player at PSU and had a solid NFL career. Back when fullbacks still existed.
Well, he didn't - there were plenty of other players that helped win the NC. But, beyond that one catch, how many other notable plays do most fans of that timeframe remember? Not many, if one at all.
He was tremendously steady player, who was a great go to guy for Blackledge.
My comment stands.
Franco Harris, 71-72 He spent some time in Joe's doghouse, but he was amazing. Great guy, too- then and now.
Great call. Kinlaw was a monster in 2007! 1300 yards rushing and 10 TDs.
Oh, beyond that one diving catch of a bomb for a td, what did he do? It was only the biggest clutch catch in the history of the program. He will have to settle for that.
I think you missed the point of the question....but have it. I don't care.
Troy Drayton TE 1992. Great player, had a good NFL career but was in the shadow of OJ McDuffie and Richie Anderson while at PSU.
No, I simply made a statement you chose to disagree with. And you apparently did care or you would have ignored my post.
Drayton was out of Steel High, was he not?
He made himself into a player by hard work and taking coaching direction. A good example for others.
Not sure I’d classify Trey Bauer as under appreciated... even with SC31 getting all the press, many understood that TB35 was a hammer
i might suggest Sherrod Rainge or Pete Curkendall ... Steve Smith on the offensive side
Yes, Steelton High. I was going to say Drayton as well. 243 receptions and 24 TDs in the NFL is a hell of a career for a walkon.
https://gopsusports.com/news/2008/5...iving_Diploma_This_Weekend.aspx?path=football
Compared to the press Conlan got (well deserved) I would classify Bauer as under appreciated
Yea I believe he was out of Steelton.
And he did improve significantly while at PSU and continued to set a good example after his football career.
“Drayton returned to Penn State in 2008 to get his degree, and he later added an MBA and a real estate license. He works with troubled youth and serves as a community ambassador for the NFL's Heads Up safety program.”
https://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2013/08/penn_state_great_troy_drayton.html
?!?!?! Joe Jurevicius was a SECOND ROUND draft pick... not exactly underappreciated
#facepalm
i didn’t appreciate JJ missing a bowl game because he wasn’t keen on the classroom
I was at PSU for the '74 thru '78 seasons, 5 in all, and was lucky to have seen some of the all-time players and teams during that time. As for true stars who were under-appreciated, the first guy who comes to mind is Randy Sidler, an AA nose tackle in '77. He was part of an outstanding defense on that '77 team that included much-appreciated/often mentioned stars Clark and Millen at DT.
The '77 team lost one game, to Kentucky and Derrick Ramsey, at home by 24-20. We took a 20-10 halftime lead in the rain, and lost the 2nd half in the sun. That team was maybe as good as the great '78 team in most respects, and maybe better on Offense. Sidler dominated the middle of the line, and prevented other teams from doubling both Clark and Millen, thereby leaving them one-on-one and winning 90% of their individual battles. If any of the three were to be doubled, then at least one or two of them were 1:1 and that was a losing proposition for the other OLine. The DEs were solid, too, so that didn't have a lot of room for the other team to find favorable blocking matchups.
Others on Defense on that same team who are not often talked about: Tom DePaso at LB (still active as the NFLPA head attorney, I believe), Rick Donaldson also at LB, who was an exceptional athlete and very quick. and Safety Gary Petercuskie, who was a very good free safety, known for roaming sideline to sideline and for hitting harder than you'd think capable for a wiry guy. This is not to slight anyone else who saw a lot of action on that D; they were a very talented defense all around.
From that same 5 year period, there were a good number of OLinemen who were either All-East or All-American who are not mentioned often. Irv Pankey, Chuck Correal, Keith Dorney, John Dunn, George Reihner, Tom Rafferty, Brad Benson, among others. This was a staple of JVP/PSU football in that (run first) era of football - a dominating O Line who allowed the running game to wear down the other team and close out games with ball control and minimal mistakes. That was the game back then, not exclusive to PSU. The rules were still dictated by a run-game mindset - holding and use of hands in blocking were much differently defined vs. the last 30 years. Penn State had good receivers (e.g. Cefalo, Fitzkee, Donovan), and TEs (e.g. Mickey Shuler) during that time, certainly, and they helped us win many games. PSU also was as good as anyone with the screen pass, especially with Matt Suhey.
Those offenses from '74 to '78 were more versatile than our memories usually allow, but no doubt, like nearly every other Top 25 (50?) team - Bama, Texas, ND, Ohio State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, USC - PSU was a run-first offense. That balance started to shift decade-by-decade from the 60s. With Hufnagle in '70-'72, we passed a bit more than we had prior to him. With Fusina ('76-'78), we became more comfortable with the passing game. The rules relaxed in favor of the passing game a bit in the early 80s, and Joe responded with Todd Blackledge leading us to national championship caliber teams in '81 and winning it in '82. To this day, most coaches prefer to have a solid and 4th quarter grinding running game as the road to consistent winning. Why we PSU fans sometimes feel angry or frustrated about that being the PSU approach at any point in time, and certainly prior to the rules and penalties changes c. early 80s, is an oddity to me.
The '77 team lost one game, to Kentucky and Derrick Ramsey, at home by 24-20. We took a 20-10 halftime lead in the rain, and lost the 2nd half in the sun. That team was maybe as good as the great '78 team in most respects, and maybe better on Offense. Sidler dominated the middle of the line, and prevented other teams from doubling both Clark and Millen, thereby leaving them one-on-one and winning 90% of their individual battles. If any of the three were to be doubled, then at least one or two of them were 1:1 and that was a losing proposition for the other OLine. The DEs were solid, too, so that didn't have a lot of room for the other team to find favorable blocking matchups.
Others on Defense on that same team who are not often talked about: Tom DePaso at LB (still active as the NFLPA head attorney, I believe), Rick Donaldson also at LB, who was an exceptional athlete and very quick. and Safety Gary Petercuskie, who was a very good free safety, known for roaming sideline to sideline and for hitting harder than you'd think capable for a wiry guy. This is not to slight anyone else who saw a lot of action on that D; they were a very talented defense all around.
From that same 5 year period, there were a good number of OLinemen who were either All-East or All-American who are not mentioned often. Irv Pankey, Chuck Correal, Keith Dorney, John Dunn, George Reihner, Tom Rafferty, Brad Benson, among others. This was a staple of JVP/PSU football in that (run first) era of football - a dominating O Line who allowed the running game to wear down the other team and close out games with ball control and minimal mistakes. That was the game back then, not exclusive to PSU. The rules were still dictated by a run-game mindset - holding and use of hands in blocking were much differently defined vs. the last 30 years. Penn State had good receivers (e.g. Cefalo, Fitzkee, Donovan), and TEs (e.g. Mickey Shuler) during that time, certainly, and they helped us win many games. PSU also was as good as anyone with the screen pass, especially with Matt Suhey.
Those offenses from '74 to '78 were more versatile than our memories usually allow, but no doubt, like nearly every other Top 25 (50?) team - Bama, Texas, ND, Ohio State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, USC - PSU was a run-first offense. That balance started to shift decade-by-decade from the 60s. With Hufnagle in '70-'72, we passed a bit more than we had prior to him. With Fusina ('76-'78), we became more comfortable with the passing game. The rules relaxed in favor of the passing game a bit in the early 80s, and Joe responded with Todd Blackledge leading us to national championship caliber teams in '81 and winning it in '82. To this day, most coaches prefer to have a solid and 4th quarter grinding running game as the road to consistent winning. Why we PSU fans sometimes feel angry or frustrated about that being the PSU approach at any point in time, and certainly prior to the rules and penalties changes c. early 80s, is an oddity to me.
Jim Kates 1968-1969. He was an excellent LB in Joe's 4-4-3 defense who was overshadowed by Denny Onkotz and Jack Ham. Sometimes PSU would shift from its base defense into a 5-3 or drop a defensive end into coverage. The hard-nosed Kates was the guy who jumped into the line as an extra DL.
Kates was the first player off the bench when Joe replaced his seniors on defense with sophomores in Penn State's 1967 upset of Miami. But I'm too young to have seen that.
Kates was the first player off the bench when Joe replaced his seniors on defense with sophomores in Penn State's 1967 upset of Miami. But I'm too young to have seen that.
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Ok. Maybe he wasn't underappreciated then but I feel he is these days. His name is hardly ever brought up as one of our best WR's.
Here's what the fans think. I know, not exactly scientific:
https://www.ranker.com/list/best-penn-state-nittany-lions-wide-receivers/ranker-college-football
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