| Seahawks receiver Bobby Engram. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; January 24, 2006 - When the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks clash in Super Bowl XL on February 5, Penn State once again will be well represented on the field and on the sidelines.
Several former Penn State players and others with ties to the Nittany Lion Football program will be involved in the National Football League's championship game, headed by three former standout players - Pittsburgh center Jeff Hartings and Seattle wide receivers Bobby Engram and Joe Jurevicius, who will be playing in his third Super Bowl in the last six years.
The trio played together on Joe Paterno's 1994 and '95 Nittany Lion squads, helping Penn State earn a 12-0 record, the Big Ten and Rose Bowl titles in 1994 and a 9-3 mark, capped by a big win over Auburn in Outback Bowl the following season.
For the 36th time in the Super Bowl's 40-game history, at least one Penn State alumnus will be a member of one of the teams. Twenty-seven former Nittany Lions have earned a total of 43 Super Bowl rings, including New England safety Shawn Mayer in 2004 and Jurevicius in 2003, when he played for Tampa Bay.
| Pittsburgh center Jeff Hartings. |
Hartings is in his fifth season with the Steelers and 10th year in the NFL. One of 11 Nittany Lions to be a named two-time first team All-American, Hartings has earned All-Pro honors in 2004 and '05. A first round draft choice of the Detroit Lions in 1996, he played guard for five seasons with the Lions before signing with Steelers prior to the 2001 campaign. Hartings has been the starting center the past five years and this season was instrumental in Pittsburgh ranking fifth in the NFL in rushing yardage.
In addition to Hartings, several other Nittany Lions are members of the Steelers' coaching, medical and administrative staffs:
- Dick Hoak, the longest tenured coach in Steelers history, is in his 44th year with the team and his 34th consecutive season as an assistant coach. He coaches the running backs. Hoak lettered at Penn State from 1958-60 at quarterback, running back and defensive back. He was the MVP of the 1960 Liberty Bowl, as Penn State thumped Oregon, 41-12, running for two touchdowns, throwing for another and grabbing an interception. Hoak was selected by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL Draft and spent 10 seasons in the backfield, leading the Steelers in rushing three times (1965, 1968, 1969) and playing in one Pro Bowl (1969). Hoak joined the Steelers' staff in 1972. Among his pupils was former Nittany Lion Franco Harris who, along with former PSU All-America linebacker Jack Ham, were instrumental in the Steelers winning four Super Bowl titles during their Pro Football Hall of Fame careers.
- Darren Perry is in his third season as a member of the Steelers' coaching staff. A standout safety for Pittsburgh, he returned to the team as assistant defensive backs coach in 2003 and was promoted to defensive backs coach prior to the 2004 season. Perry earned first team All-America honors with the Nittany Lions in 1991, grabbing six interceptions and helping Penn State to a Fiesta Bowl win and 11-2 record. He collected 15 career interceptions to tie Pete Harris for second place on the PSU list, while his 299 return yards broke the school mark. Perry's three career interception returns for touchdowns are tied for the school record along with Dennis Onkotz. He was selected by the Steelers in the eighth round of the 1992 Draft and immediately moved into the line-up at free safety, starting the first 110 games of his career. His 32 career interceptions from 1992-98 are tied for seventh in Pittsburgh history. Perry finished his career with the New Orleans Saints in 2000, playing in 139 of 141 possible games during his NFL career.
- Chet Fuhrman is in his 14th season as the Steelers' strength and conditioning coordinator. He served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Penn State from 1979-80. He was named the first strength and conditioning coach at Weber State in 1981, before returning to Penn State to oversee the strength and conditioning program in 1982. He was a member of the Nittany Lions' staff for 10 years before joining the Steelers. In his 28th year in the field of strength and conditioning, Fuhrman was the recipient of the 2001-02 President's Award for his contribution to the field of strength and conditioning. - Dr. Jim Bradley is in his 14th season as the Steelers' orthopaedic physician. He lettered in 1973 and '74 at defensive back for the Nittany Lions. A two-year starter, he led the team with four interceptions and three fumble recoveries in 1973, as Penn State beat LSU in the Orange Bowl to earn the first 12-0 season in school history. In 1974, Bradley was a team co-captain, helping lead the Lions to a 10-2 mark, capped by a victory in the Cotton Bowl. Bradley was the first of three brothers to play for Paterno, with Tom (1975-78) and Matt (1978-81) later making their mark. Tom is entering his 28th season as a member of the Penn State coaching staff, the last six overseeing the defense, which allowed an average of 17.0 points and 93.0 yards rushing this past season.
- John Norwig is the Steelers' head trainer. Norwig earned his bachelor's degree from Penn State in 1979 and his master's in 1984 from the College of Health and Human Development. He was a member of the Vanderbilt training staff from 1985-91 before joining the Steelers.
The Seahawks feature two former Nittany Lion standouts on their roster and one former coach on their coaching staff.
| Seattle receiver Joe Jurevicius. |
Engram is in his 10th season in the NFL, the last five with Seattle. He leads the Seahawks with 67 receptions for 778 yards and three touchdowns, with a long catch of 56 yards. A three-time first team All-Big Ten selection, like Hartings, Engram was the initial recipient of the Biletnikoff Award, presented to the nation's top wide receiver. A first team All-American in 1994, Engram concluded his brilliant career in 1995 with 12 school records, including career receptions (167), receiving yardage (3,026) and receiving touchdowns (31). A second round selection of the Chicago Bears in the 1996 NFL Draft, he played five years in Chicago before joining the Seahawks.
Jurevicius is in his eighth season in the NFL and also has had an outstanding year. In his first season in Seattle, he is second on the team with 55 catches for 694 yards and 10 touchdowns, with a long reception of 52 yards. Jurevicius is tied for second in the NFC and fourth in the NFL with his 10 TD catches. He ranks fourth in Penn State annals with 15 touchdown catches is second only to Engram with nine 100-yard receiving games. A second round selection by the New York Giants in the 1998 NFL Draft, Jurevicius played four years in New York, helping the Giants win the 2000 NFC title. He joined Tampa Bay in 2002, helping the Buccaneers capture Super Bowl XXXVII.
Teryl Austin is in his third season as Seattle's defensive backs coach. Austin broke into the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at Penn State in 1991-92. He was hired by former Penn State assistant Jim Caldwell as the secondary coach at Wake Forest in 1993. Austin also coached at Syracuse and Michigan before joining the Seahawks' staff in 2003.
Half of the 32 former Nittany Lions playing in the NFL during the 2005 season were members of NFL playoff teams, with a Penn Stater on the nine of the 12 squads that were in contention for Super Bowl XL.
With 32 former Lions on NFL rosters, Penn State is among the top 10 schools in the nation in producing current NFL players.
More than 300 Nittany Lions have signed NFL contracts since Joe Paterno became head coach in 1966. A total of 221 Penn State players have been NFL draft selections during the Paterno era, including 29 first round choices. In 2003, four Nittany Lions were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.