UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – First-team All-Americans Jeff Hartings and Steve Wisniewski have been selected as a part of the national ballot for the National Football Foundation's College Hall of Fame's Class of 2020. A total of 76 players and five coaches from FBS are on the 2020 ballot.
The pair of standouts were instrumental in helping Penn State post undefeated and championship seasons have an opportunity to join 19 former Nittany Lion players and five Penn State coaches who have been inducted into the Hall.
Also on the Hall of Fame ballot is former Nittany Lion student-athlete Glenn Killinger, who is among the candidates for the divisional coach Class of 2019. Killinger was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1966.
The announcement of the 2020 Class will be made in January 2020 in the days leading up to the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship in New Orleans. The January announcement will be televised and/or streamed live, and specific viewing information will be available as the date draws near. Several of the electees will also participate in the pregame festivities and the coin toss before the championship game.
Jeff Hartings
Hartings excelled on the field and in the classroom for the Nittany Lions, claiming first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors and six first-team All-America accolades during his career. In 1995, he was an NFF Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete team honoree and Rotary Lombardi Trophy semifinalist.
The native of St. Henry, Ohio was the keystone of the offensive line that helped the 1994 offense break 14 school season records and seven Big Ten season marks, including points scored (526), touchdowns (71), points per game for all games (47.8 ppg), points per game for conference games (48.1 ppg), total offense (5,722 yards), total offense per game (520.2 ypg) and yards gained per play (7.64 ypp). The Nittany Lions also led the nation in scoring (47.8 ppg) and total offense (520.2 ypg) and also led the Big Ten in rushing (250.9; 6th nationally) and passing offense (269.3 ypg; 12th nationally).
Hartings was a three-time All-Big Ten first team selection and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten choice in his career. He earned first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and Walter Camp in 1994 and followed that up by collecting first-team All-America honors from UPI, AFCA, Sporting News and Walter Camp.
He was selected with the 23rd overall pick of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a three-time All-Pro selection, two-time Pro Bowl pick and member of the 1996 NFL All-Rookie Team.
Steve Wisniewski
Wisniewski was a three-year starter at guard for the Nittany Lions who would go on to become an All-Pro lineman in the NFL. He was one of two sophomores to start on the 1986 National Championship team and he opened holes for two first-team All-America running backs, Blair Thomas (1987) and D.J. Dozier (1986). One of just four Penn State offensive linemen to earn a pair of first-team All-America honors, he was recognized in 1988 by the American Football Coaches (AFCA) and repeated All-America accolades from Sporting News. A 1988 team captain, Wisniewski is one of just two offensive linemen to earn Penn State's team MVP honor since its creation in 1978.
From Westfield High School in Houston, Wisniewski was the first pick in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, who immediately traded his rights to the Los Angeles Raiders. Wisniewski was a mainstay for the Raiders from 1989-2001, starting the final 175 games of his career. He was selected to the Pro Bowl eight times, with six first-team All-Pro selections. He was elected a Raiders team captain seven times, was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1990's and to Oakland's 50-Year All-Raider Team. Wisniewski missed only two of a possible 208 career games.
Wisniewski's older brother, Leo, was a standout defensive lineman for the Nittany Lions from 1979-81. A nephew, Stefen, was a three-year starter on Penn State's offensive line, earning first-team All-America honors in 2010. He became the first Nittany Lion to earn Academic All-America honors three times and was selected by the Raiders in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Stefen Wisniewski was a four-year starter with Oakland and currently plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Glen Killinger
From Harrisburg, Killinger was a Walter Camp All-American at quarterback for the Nittany Lions in 1921. He coached at Dickinson (1922), Rensselaer (1927-32), Moravian (1933) and West Chester (1934-41, 45-59). Killinger is the winningest coach in West Chester history and is a member of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He died in 1988.
To be eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot, players must have been named a first-team All-America by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least 10 years prior to nomination; played within the last 50 years and cannot be currently playing professional football. Once nominated for consideration, all player candidates are submitted to one of eight District Screening Committees, which conducts a vote to determine who will appear on the ballot and represent their respective districts.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and reserving new season tickets for the 2019 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
More than 4,000 new season tickets have already been sold for the 2019 campaign.
