GAME PROGRAM PREVIEW
Here's one of the many feature stories that you can find in this weekend's Penn State vs. Toledo Game Program. Be sure to buy your copy of the game program at the Stadium on Saturday for just $3 to get this feature, the cover story on John Gilmore and Tony Stewart, and features on Aaron Gatten, Mike Cerimele, and Bob Jones. You'll also get the rosters, stats, and all the info you need to enjoy the game.
Can't be at Beaver Stadium on Saturday? Well, you can still get the program for your collection. Just send $4 (Book Rate) or $6 (First Class) per copy to Beaver Stadium Pictorial Sales, 101D, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA, 16802. Mail CHECK or MONEY ORDER made payable to Penn State.
Shamar Finney: Stylin' and Profilin'
He's been honored as an Academic All-Big Ten selection. He's been honored as a USA Today and Parade prep All-American, and was rated the top high school player in North and South Carolina his senior year.
Penn State junior linebacker Shamar Finney has earned a lot of recognition throughout his football career. They are all terrific awards, but the one that his teammates are most proud of won't be found in any football publication or from an athletic club ?? it's their own.
Finney's wardrobe and apparel for road trips has earned him the dubious distinction of "Best Dressed on the Road" from his defensive teammates. It's an annual event for his teammates to wait in wonder, to see what the Shelby, N.C., native will wear on trips to the Lions' battles away from the confines of Beaver Stadium. It helps the squad stay loose and gives Finney even more opportunities to show off his threads.
"You never know what he's going to wear, and what he's going to look like," defensive tackle Anthony Adams said with a laugh. "From the jewelry to the shoe laces, he just seems to have everything all organized. You would think he was a fashion model instead of a linebacker."
"I like to dress in a way people can see me," said Finney, who was married to Keyonda Bristol on May 15, 1999 in Boiling Springs, N.C. "I like to look good and feel good. It's just a shame that we only play five road games a year."
Finney's choices on what to wear for road trips range from a few things like striped to solid ties, pleated to non-pleated pants, hat or no hat and different brand name clothing. His color coordination is just as wild. Colors vary from your ordinary red, black and blue, to wild fashions such as bright yellow or lime green. It all depends on Finney's mood and knowing that he has a reputation to live up to at the same time.
"If you look good, then you perform good," said Finney, who was penciled in to start last week against Southern California. "It's fun to dress up and be the fashionable one on the team," he added with a laugh.
Maybe even more impressive than Finney's line of clothing is his collection and love of jewelry. "We have to wear sunglasses when he walks by with all that jewelry on," fellow linebacker Ron Graham said of Finney's chains and rings. "He loves his jewelry. He looks like Mr. T sometimes when he wears all of those chains around his neck."
With Finney's taste for clothing and styling, there is still one question that bewilders most of his teammates. Who picks out his clothing? Finney or his wife?
Fellow linebacker Eric Sturdifen tends to believe that it's the woman behind the man. "I think she picks out the stuff," he said with a grin on his face. "If that's the case then she should be complimented, because she has good taste in clothing."
Finney won't release any information on who helps to pick out his wardrobe.
"I'm shocked," he said with a smile. "I'm a big boy. I thought these guys knew that I take time personally to pick out my clothes. It's hard to pick out the right style to wear and to keep it looking good."