Penn State Great LaVar Arrington Makes College FB Hall Of Fame

STATE COLLEGE, PA — Former Penn State and NFL player LaVar Arrington was one of the most feared collegiate linebackers of the late 1990s. Further proof of that occurred this week with his selection to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Arrington, 43, who played at Penn State from 1997-99, is the 19th Nittany Lion to achieve that honor.

“I certainly want to send a much deserved thank you to Penn State for supporting me," Arrington said in a statement.

"I also appreciate the support from all the fans. They have always been the greatest fans in the world. The love I feel even to this day is just unmatched. Lastly, I want to give a thank you to the
National Football Foundation for letting me enter into the golden gates of football, college football immortality.”

Arrington played linebacker and running back at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh. He was named the 1996 Parade National Player of the Year, Bobby Dodd National High School Back of the Year, the Gatorade Player of the Year and Pennsylvania Player of the Year.

The 12th Nittany Lion ever selected as a two-time First Team All-American, Arrington earned unanimous honors in 1999. In 1999, he was the recipient of the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker and the Bednarik Award as the country’s top defensive player.

A finalist for the Nagurski and Lombardi awards, Arrington finished ninth in the 1999
Heisman Trophy voting. A two-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree, Arrington became the first sophomore to ever be named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year when he received the honor in 1998.

The 1999 Jack Lambert Award recipient led the Nittany Lions to three bowl games, including wins in the 1999 Outback Bowl and the 1999 Alamo Bowl. Penn State finished with top 20 national rankings all three years of his career, highlighted by a No. 11 finish in 1999.

Arrington had 173 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 19 sacks and three interceptions while playing for Penn State.

The second overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Washington Football Team, Arrington played for Washington from 2000-05 and then for the New York Giants in 2006. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection.

He currently works for Fox Sports Radio.

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