Dec. 5, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State All-America linebacker Dan Connor is one of three finalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, with the winner being announced Thursday during the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards program.
Twelve awards will be presented during the show from Walt Disney World Resort, which will air on ESPN from 7:30-9:30 p.m. There will be a live pre and post-event highlights and interview show on ESPNU at 7:00 and 9:30 p.m. The Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Team, the nation's oldest All-America team.
The Maxwell Football Club presents the Bednarik Award to the nation's top defensive player. Connor is joined by LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis as finalists for the 13th Bednarik honor. The award will formally be presented at the Maxwell Football Club's Awards Dinner on March 7, 2008 at Harrah's Entertainment Complex in Atlantic City, N.J.
Connor, the Nittany Lions' career tackle leader with 410 hits, also was one of three finalists for the 2006 Bednarik Award, which was captured by teammate Paul Posluszny for the second consecutive year. The award was first presented in 1995 in honor of former Philadelphia Eagles standout Chuck Bednarik.
Last year, "Linebacker U" became the first school to have a pair of Bednarik Award finalists in the 12 years the honor had been presented. Former Nittany Lion All-America linebacker LaVar Arrington also won the Bednarik Award in 1999.
A native of Wallingford, Pa., Connor previously was named a finalist for the 2007 Butkus Award, to be announced Friday night, and a semifinalist for Walter Camp Player of the Year. He also was a semifinalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award and a candidate for the Nagurski Trophy and Lott Trophy.
The former Strath Haven High School All-American leads Penn State and the Big Ten with 136 tackles (66 solo) for an 11.3 per game average that ranks No. 7 in the nation. Connor's 136 tackles are No. 4 on the school season list He is second on the team and 10th in the Big Ten with 14.0 TFL for minus-61 yards. Connor is second on the team and 10th in the conference with 6.5 sacks (minus-50). He also has one interception, one fumble recovery and six pass break-ups.
Connor has 20 career double digit tackle games, including eight this season. He became the Nittany Lions' career tackle leader against Purdue on Nov. 3, passing Posluszny, who made 372 stops from 2003-06.
Connor made a career-high 18 tackles against Ohio State on Oct. 27, the most by a Nittany Lion since Posluszny had 22 hits at Northwestern in 2005. He also grabbed an interception in Penn State territory and made one tackle for loss vs. the Buckeyes.
Playing near his hometown on Nov. 10, Connor tied his career-high with 18 stops in Penn State's 31-0 win over Temple. He recorded 10 tackles in the first quarter alone and had 1.5 sacks to earn Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. The Big Ten honor was the fourth of Connor's career. He also earned both honors after recording 12 hits in Penn State's 31-10 win over Notre Dame on Sept. 8.
Coach Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions completed the regular season with an 8-4 record and will face Texas A&M (7-5) in the Valero Alamo Bowl. The Nittany Lions' second Alamo Bowl appearance is Saturday, Dec. 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET in the The Alamodome in San Antonio. Penn State will be playing in its 34th bowl game under Paterno, who is the all-time leader in bowl appearances and wins (22-10-1 record).