Dan Klecko, Temple University
 For anyone watching Temple football this season, the sight of No. 73 tossing aside blockers and
sacking quarterbacks surely brought back memories. The Owls have not had a
defensive lineman like Dan Klecko since, well, his father Joe was wearing
the cherry and white in the 1970s.
The 6-1, 280-pound Klecko
was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Big East and he was voted
second-team Associated Press All-American despite playing for a Temple
team that finished the 2002 season with a 4-8 record. It was a remarkable
accomplishment for the Owls senior captain and earned him the Maxwell
Football Club's Tri-State Player of the Year Award.
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez called Klecko, "The most dominating player I've seen this
year." In 2002, Klecko was a unanimous pick for the All-Big East team
for the second consecutive year, making him only the eighth player in
conference history to be so honored.
"There are a lot of great players at Miami, Virginia Tech and Syracuse," Pitt center Chad
Reed said. "But to me, the best defensive lineman in the Big East is
Dan Klecko. He's relentless. He just keeps coming at you and plays with
such intensity that you can't relax. It's a shame that Temple isn't on
national television more because he should be a first-team All-American,
but few people outside of the Big East get to see much of him."
Klecko led the Big East in sacks (10) and tackles behind the line of scrimmage (22.5). He had 68
total tackles, 21 quarterback hurries and four forced fumbles. He is the
first Temple player to win a major Big East award and he is just the sixth
player in school history to be voted onto an AP All-American team, the
first since linebacker Loranzo Square in 1988.
Joe Klecko was an honorable mention AP All-American in 1974 and '75 before graduating to the NFL where
he was a four-time All-Pro with the New York Jets. He is the only player
to be voted into the Pro Bowl at three different positions: defensive end,
defensive tackle and nose tackle.
"My dad taught me everything I know about football and about life," Dan said. "If
I didn't want to deal with being in his shadow, I wouldn't be playing at
the same school, playing the same position he played and wearing the same
number he did. My feeling is, having a father who was such a star is a
constant reminder for me to raise the bar for myself."
Temple was the only Division 1 school to recruit Klecko when he graduated from Marlboro High School in
Colts Neck, N.J. The other major colleges felt he was not quite big or
fast enough. But the toughness and desire that helped make the elder
Klecko a star were reflected in Dan's play as well.
Dan broke into the starting lineup as a Temple freshman and played all four seasons. He set a school
record in 2002 with four sacks and 12 tackles in one game against
Connecticut.
|
