Bowman, Lee could exit lacking signature play

Sean Lee will graduate, hopefully getting the nod on NFL Draft day this coming April. Navorro Bowman could leave early, joining Lee on the Radio City Music Hall stage. But regardless of whether or not the two linebackers make their Penn State exit together, at this point, neither has a chance of being revered as one of the all-time greats to don the Blue and White at "Linebacker U."

But how could this possibly be? Both have garnered All-Big Ten and All-America recognition. Both have played on some of the most dominating defenses Penn State has ever fielded. And both will end up playing in the NFL.

So, what's missing? "The play."

Name one signature, game-changing, program-defining play made by either Lee or Bowman. You can't. The closest thing might be Lee's forced fumble in the 2007 Outback Bowl, which was scooped up by Tony Davis for a touchdown. But was that really in line with some of the other, actual career-making plays by any of the Penn State linebackers whom we all consider to be the greatest?

In Jack Ham's sophomore season, he blocked three punts, a record that stood until 1989 when Andre Collins (more on him in a minute) tied it. Both Ham and Collins are tied in the Penn State record books for career blocked punts. In Ham's senior season, the All-American racked up 91 tackles in ten games and picked off four passes.

Dennis Onkotz, a contemporary of Ham at Penn State, was not only a notorious linebacker, but a fantastic punt return specialist. Onkotz had a 13.2 career punt return average, taking back two for touchdowns. He was just as valuable to the offense as he was the defense.

Shane Conlan was a two-time All-American, but in his final game as a Nittany Lion, played what could be deemed the best game by a Penn State linebacker in the program's history. In the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, the most watched game in the history of the sport, Conlan twice picked off Miami quarterback and Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde. The second pick Conlan returned down to the five yard line, setting up Penn State's go ahead score as the fourth quarter drew to a close. He would be named the Defensive Player of the Game, the National Championship game, to be precise.

Just a backup when Conlan was roaming the field, Andre Collins became Penn State's next great linebacker. Collins not only tied Jack Ham's career blocked punts record, but came up huge in the 1989 Holiday Bowl, with a 102-yard interception return of a two-point conversion attempt by BYU, one of the most entertaining plays in one of the most entertaining games of all time.

Then there was LaVar Arrington. The two-time All-America selection, and eventual No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick, was the undisputed king of big plays. His patented "LaVar Leap" became a football sensation that endures to this day, punctuated by the best of them all, as Arrington perfectly timed an Illinois running play to hurdle the entire line of scrimmage to tackle the ball carrier before the handoff was even complete. Arrington could go down as one of the best individual playmakers in Penn State football history.

In 2005, the likes of Arrington, Ham and Conlan seemed to be distant dreams, as the Nittany Lions were coming off their worst five-year stretch in program history. But there was hope, particularly in a defense led by junior linebacker Paul Posluszny. One could say that Posluszny's greatest single game came against Ohio State. However, the two-time All-American's greatest single play happened a week earlier, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Gopher running back Gary Russell took a hand off from one yard out, going airborne towards the end zone. His journey would be stopped short, though, by a similarly airborne Posluszny, who perfectly judged the play, halting Russell in mid-air before reaching the goal line.

Now, you're probably wondering why players like Dan Connor and Brandon Short aren't on this list. Well, because they are actually the precursors to how Bowman and Lee might end their Penn State careers, without that one play to forever ingrain their image in Penn State lore. Connor was by no means any less of a linebacker than Posluszny, nor was Short to Arrington. But what makes a player into an all-timer is a signature play, or at least a unique reputation like Ham or Onkotz, to define his career.

What have Lee and Bowman done to separate themselves from the rest of Penn State's great linebackers? Nothing, actually.

It's tough to come down on Lee, as he's been hampered by injuries the last two seasons. He might have had "the play" of his own, if he was given the time to do so. But Bowman, should he leave early for the NFL, will definitely leave Happy Valley lacking the one thing necessary to become one of the all-time leaders of Linebacker U -- a signature play.

The opportunities have been there for both of them. While there is no sense in blaming the defense for losses to Iowa and Ohio State, the unit, including its two best players, failed to come up with a big play when the team needed one.

Although time is ticking away, there is still some hope. Lee has three games left in his Penn State career. Bowman could very well come back for his senior season in 2010. But should the rest of this season unfold along the same path it has so far, two of the most talented linebackers ever to play for Penn State -- Linebacker U -- could end their careers as just another pair of great linebackers, but not among the greatest.

Photo: Joe Hermitt, Patriot News

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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.

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