Aug. 11, 2015
A total of 33 Penn State football alumni are populating the training camp rosters of 21 National Football League teams. The Nittany Lions annually are among the top 20 programs nationally in producing players in the NFL.
In addition, 10 former Nittany Lions are members of NFL coaching staffs, three of whom coach the running backs.
The Jacksonville Jaguars boast a league-high four former Nittany Lions, including nine-year veteran and 2013 Pro Bowl linebacker Paul Posluszny and 2014 second-round pick Allen Robinson. Veterans Jared Odrick (Miami) and Stefan Wisniewski (Oakland) signed with Jacksonville during the offseason as free agents.
The Atlanta Falcons have three Nittany Lions on their training camp roster, while seven teams - Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks -- each have two PSU alums.
Seven players from Penn State's 2014 squad are vying to make NFL squads as rookies: Adrian Amos (Chicago), Brad Bars (New York Giants), Mike Hull (Miami), Deion Barnes (New York Jets), Miles Dieffenbach (Pittsburgh), Jesse James (Pittsburgh) and Donovan Smith (Tampa Bay).
Penn State has had 39 NFL Draft picks since 2006, including 17 in the first three rounds, and at least three NFL Draft picks 17 times since starting Big Ten Conference competition in 1993. A total of 338 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL Draft. Eleven-year veteran and Chicago Bears All-Pro placekicker Robbie Gould is Penn State's elder statesman in the NFL. Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro linebacker Tamba Hali, who is entering his 10th professional season, is second in longevity, followed by Posluszny and seven-year professionals Jordan Norwood (Denver) and Cameron Wake (Miami).
For the 44th time in the Super Bowl's 49-game history, at least one Penn State alumnus was a member of one of the participating teams (18 times in last 20 years). Thirty-six former Nittany Lions have earned a total of 53 Super Bowl rings, most recently Jordan Hill and since-retired running back Michael Robinson with Seattle last year. A total of 105 Nittany Lions have been on Super Bowl rosters.
Ten former Nittany Lions are members of NFL coaching staffs: Gary Brown (Dallas, running backs); Bobby Engram (Baltimore, wide receivers); Sam Gash (Green Bay, running backs); Ron Heller (New York Jets, assistant offensive line); John McNulty (Tennessee, quarterbacks); Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Munchak (Pittsburgh, offensive line); Jeff Nixon (Miami, running backs); Paul Pasqualoni (Houston, defensive line); Darren Perry (Green Bay, safeties) and Mike Wolf (Cleveland, assistant strength and conditioning). Pasqualoni is the only Lion with a different team this season, as he was previously the defensive line coach for the Bears.
In addition, former Penn State quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell is in his second season as head coach of the Detroit Lions.
The Nittany Lions open the 2015 campaign on the road against Temple at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, September 5 at 3:30 p.m.
Season, partial season and single game tickets for the 2015 campaign are on sale, with nearly 4,200 new season tickets having been sold. To purchase tickets or for information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2015 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.
Former Penn State players on 2015 NFL training camp rosters (pro season in parentheses):
Arizona Cardinals: Glenn Carson (2), A. Q. Shipley (6)
Atlanta Falcons: Mickey Shuler (6), Nathan Stupar (4), Evan Royster (4)
Baltimore Ravens: John Urschel (2)
Cincinnati Bengals: Devon Still (4)
Chicago Bears: Adrian Amos (1), Robbie Gould (11)
Dallas Cowboys: Jack Crawford (4), Sean Lee (6)
Denver Broncos: Jordan Norwood (7)
Green Bay Packers: Andrew Quarless (6)
Jacksonville Jaguars: Jared Odrick (6), Paul Posluszny (9), Allen Robinson (2), Stefen Wisniewski (5)
Kansas City Chiefs: Tamba Hali (10)
Miami Dolphins: Mike Hull (1), Cameron Wake (7)
Minnesota Vikings: Gerald Hodges (3), Michael Mauti (3)
New York Giants: Brad Bars (1)
New York Jets: Deion Barnes (1)
Oakland Raiders: Matt McGloin (3)
Pittsburgh Steelers: Miles Dieffenbach (1), Jesse James (1)
San Diego Chargers: Johnnie Troutman (4)
San Francisco 49ers: Navorro Bowman (6)
Seattle Seahawks: Garry Gilliam (2), Jordan Hill (3)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Donovan Smith (1)
Tennessee Titans: DaQuan Jones (2)