 LaVar Arrington, Penn State University
A reporter previewing last month's Alamo Bowl
between Penn State and Texas A&M asked LaVar Arrington which school really deserved
the title of "Linebacker U."
A case could be made either way, the reporter pointed out. For years, Penn State owned
the name because of players like Jack Ham, Dennis Onkotz, Greg Buttle and Shane Conlan.
But the Aggies had an impressive cast of their own, including Quentin Coryatt, Reggie
Brown and Dat Nguyen.
"History says that Penn State is Linebacker U., forever," Arrington said.
"Anybody else who claims that name is just a wannabe. That's the reason I went to
Penn State, to play for Linebacker U. That's something I'll defend, with all my
honor."
The 6-3, 235-pound Arrington backed up his words with a dominating performance against
the Aggies. He had 14 tackles and one sack as the Nittany Lions posted a 24-0 shutout.
Three of the Penn State interceptions were the direct result of Arrington's pressure on
Aggie quarterback Randy McCown.
"Everything we heard about (Arrington) was true, he is a great football
player," said R.C. Slocum, the Texas A&M coach.
The Maxwell Football Club's voters recognized that by selecting Arrington as the
Collegiate Defensive Player of the Year. He will receive the fifth Chuck Bednarik Award,
named in honor of the former University of Pennsylvania great.
Arrington had 72 tackles, nine sacks and 20 tackles behind the line of scrimmage this
past season. He also blocked two kicks, including a field goal attempt with four seconds
left to preserve a 20-17 win over Pittsburgh. Against Purdue, Arrington sacked quarterback
Drew Brees, forced a fumble, then scooped up the ball and ran it in for a touchdown.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr compared Arrington to Lawrence Taylor, the Hall of Fame
linebacker whose relentless sideline-to-sideline play helped the New York Giants win two
Super Bowls.
"When you're standing on the sideline, as a coach, you just feel his presence out
there," Carr told Sports Illustrated, referring to Arrington. "He's so fast,
agile and competitive. Definitely one of the best players I've seen in this conference in
a long, long time."
Arrington was voted the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore when he
recorded 65 tackles, seven sacks and two interceptions. He had 11 tackles and two forced
fumbles in a win over Ohio State, including one play in which he shot through the line and
literally stole a handoff from Buckeye quarterback Mark Garcia.
But the play that brought Arrington national attention was his fourth down stop of
Illinois fullback Elmer Hickman. On that play, Arrington read the formation, anticipated
the handoff, timed the snap count and launched himself over the offensive line to meet
Hickman just as he was taking the ball.
The result was: 1) a fearsome collision, 2) a three-yard loss for the Illini and 3) a
film clip that played on every highlight show in the country. The play became known as
"LaVar's Leap" and it stamped him as one of the most exciting players in college
football, something the Penn State fans already knew.
"There was nothing you could say (about that play) except Wow," said teammate
Mac Morrison.
Arrington was Parade Magazine's national high school player of the year when he
graduated from North Hills High School in suburban Pittsburgh. He played both ways in
high school and excelled as a running back, rushing for more than 4,000 yards. He played
safety as a freshman at Penn State before coach Joe Paterno moved him to linebacker and
Arrington took his place among the other legends of "Linebacker U." |
