Success with Honor and the Nittany Lions who made it happen

◊ Penn State has long been respected for its accomplishments and reputation on the football field, centered around the program and university's principle "Success With Honor." The driving force behind that ideal is that winning games isn't the most important thing, but rather, winning the right way. Today, we'll look at a few Nittany Lions that have come to embody "the Penn State way."

Wally Triplett - Running Back - 1946-1948

For the football history buffs, this name really rings a bell. Wallace "Wally" Triplett broke color barriers in college and pro football, becoming the first black player to be selected in the NFL draft. Yet more dramatically, Triplett's college career was marked by two defining moments for him, and the sport. In 1946, the players voted to cancel a visit to play the Miami Hurricanes, after Miami required that Penn State leave behind its black players. Then in 1948, Triplett, along with teammate Donnie Hoggard, became the first black players to play in the Cotton Bowl, a 13-13 tie with SMU. It was said that SMU wanted a meeting with Penn State before the game, to protest Triplett's and Hoggard's participation. Accounts from that day show that team captain Steve Suhey responded, "We are Penn State. There will be no meetings," ushering in one of college football's most famous cheers.

Roosevelt Grier - Line - 1951-1953

While his career playing for Penn State was marked by outstanding work on and off the field, it's Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier went on to star at everything he did, even in some of the darkest hours of American history. During the 1968 presidential campaign, Grier was a bodyguard for Robert F. Kennedy. On June 5, Kennedy was assassinated, and while Grier could not have prevented the killing, he was able to subdue the assassin, Sirhan Sirhan. Grier went on to pen numerous books, was ordained as a minister, and founded a non-profit organization to benefit inner-city youth. During his NFL career, Grier won the 1956 NFL Championship with the Giants, and later played for the LA Rams as a member of the infamous "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line.

Dennis Onkotz - Linebacker/Punt Returner - 1967-1969

Onkotz doesn't get the fame in the mainstream that he probably deserves. That's not to say he wasn't one of Penn State's all time greats. Onkotz was a two-time All-America selection at linebacker, a star punt returner (yup, a linebacker returning punts!) with a 13.2 yard per return career average, and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995. However, since he played only one year in the NFL (due to career-ending injury), while teammates like Jack Ham went on to professional stardom, Onkotz has never gained the notoriety he earned at Penn State.

Gregg Garrity - Receiver - 1979-1982

He wasn't big enough, fast enough or talented enough to make it, but that's just what Gregg Garrity did during his careers with Penn State and the NFL. As Penn State rolled to its first national title in 1982, guys like Kenny Jackson, Todd Blackledge and Curt Warner were making big plays and big headlines, but it would turn out to be Garrity that epitomized the season, and the Penn State spirit. His diving end zone touchdown catch turned out to be the difference in the 27-23 win over Hershel Walker and the Georgia Bulldogs, and landed Garrity on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But his workman-like attitude didn't end in Happy Valley, as Garrity went on to play almost a decade in the NFL with the Steelers and Eagles.

John Shaffer - Quarterback - 1983-1986

Penn State's undefeated 1986 national title team was probably the least explosive champion in the history of college football. Words like ugly, bland and boring were frequently used to describe that season's offense, and focused mainly on its quarterback, John Shaffer. But Shaffer had something about him not many others could boast: he just didn't lose games. Through his career, Shaffer lost only one game, the 1986 Orange Bowl to eventual champ Oklahoma. In the 1987 Fiesta Bowl win over Miami, in which the Hurricanes out gained Penn State 445-162, Shaffer threw for less than 100 yards. But he didn't lose. He went on to sign a free agent contract, but somehow not surprisingly, he asked to be cut a few weeks into the preseason. He went on to a successful business career and raised a family, remaining one of Penn State's most successful, least sensational quarterback.

Brian Milne/Jon Witman - Fullbacks - 1991-1995

When was the last time a team had two star fullbacks? While Penn State was fielding one of the best offenses in college football history, these two guys teamed up for the ultimate hard-nosed, run-you-over combination. Milne overcame a childhood bout with Hodgkin's disease, while Witman dropped out after the first month, coming back the next year. They roomed together at Penn State, and were even strikingly similar in looks. Milne was named MVP after scoring three times in Penn State's comeback win at Illinois in 1994, and Witman led the team in touchdowns in 1995. Both went on to play successfully in the NFL; Witman with the Steelers, and Milne with Bengals, Seahawks and Saints.

Zack Mills - Quarterback - 2001-2004

Every school seems to have a Zack Mills. While he holds nearly every Penn State passing record, his career was riddled by fan frustration, mostly due to the failures by his surrounding cast. Mills burst onto the scene in 2001, by leading a comeback to beat Northwestern, then almost single-handedly beat Ohio State at home, in an even more frantic comeback, to give Joe Paterno his 324th win to bypass Bear Bryant's record. Mills was a star seemingly overnight, and carried that into his sophomore campaign. In 2002, he was on a record-breaking passing pace, but injured his shoulder during a win at Wisconsin. He would never be the same. The next two and a half years, Mills suffered from injuries, while the rest of the team's talent base dropped off, slogging through a 7-16 record his last two seasons. However, he never quit, and led the team to two straight wins to end his career in 2004, sparking what some point to as the resurgence of Penn State football.

Clavin Lowry - Safety - 2002-2005

His career started off on the shaky side, but Calvin Lowry turned his fortune around to finish as one of the best play-making defensive backs at Penn State. Against visiting Wisconsin in 2003, driving rain caused sloppy play for both teams. But Lowry became the day's goat, as he muffed a punt inside the 20, leading to a game-defining touchdown for the Badgers. Oh, how things changed. Lowry earned first team All-Big Ten honors in 2005, and played a pivotal starting role in the even-better 2004 defense. His career-defining moment came in the all-timer of a win over Ohio State in 2005. With an uncomfortable 7-3 lead over the No. 6 Buckeyes, Lowry jumped on a Troy Smith pass, and returned it to the Ohio State two. Moments later, Penn State upped its lead to 14-3, never relinquishing the advantage. Lowry went on to the NFL, to play for the Titans and now the Broncos.

Tony Hunt - Running Back - 2003-2006

Tony Hunt was supposed to be a USC Trojan, until a guy by the name of Reggie Bush sign a letter of intent. Hunt reneged his verbal to USC, and signed with Penn State in 2003, eventually becoming the No. 2 all-time rusher in Nittany Lions history. Hunt was a big, bruising back that never, ever went down on the first hit, and was at first overshadowed by fellow Penn State recruit Austin Scott. But partly due to Scott's mishaps, Hunt was given a more prominent role. He was never selected All-America, or even first team all-Big Ten, but Hunt was one of the most valuable running backs to play for Penn State. In 2005 and 2006, Hunt would frequently take over games in the second half. If there was one game that epitomized Hunt's career, it was (fittingly) his final one; an upset of Tennessee in the 2007 Outback Bowl. Hunt used his power running to melt the clock on the supposedly better, faster Volunteers, to the tune of 160 yards. Hunt went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Adam Taliaferro - Cornerback - 2000

I was going in chronological order until now, because frankly, there's no greater individual story that epitomizes the Penn State spirit than Adam Taliaferro's. As a true freshman playing in his fifth collegiate football game, he sustained a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down. He was given only a three percent chance to ever recover, and even less to walk normally again. In Penn State fashion, Taliaferro never gave up. He worked through eight months of intense rehabilitation, and eventually taught himself to walk again. Taliaferro never played another down of football, but remains one of the greatest and beloved Nittany Lions players. His return to the field was and emotional entrance through the Beaver Stadium tunnel before the season opener against Miami in 2001, when he proceeded to skip, then run onto the field. He earned his bachelor's in 2005, and his Juris Doctor in 2008 from Rutgers.