Penn State Well-Represented on Maxwell and Bednarik Award Watch Lists

A couple of major individual award committees in college football are keeping a close eye on Penn State players.

The Maxwell Football Club annually awards the Maxwell Award to the top college football player in the nation and the Chuck Bednarik Award is given to the top defensive player. This year a combined five Penn State players appear on both preseason watch lists.

Quarterback Daryll Clark and running back Evan Royster are among the athletes listed on the Maxwell Award watch list. Linebackers Navorro Bowman and Sean Lee and defensive tackle Jared Odrick can find their names on the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award.

Penn State players are no strangers to these awards historically.

No other school has been the home of more Maxwell Award winners than Penn State. The Nittany Lions have won seven Maxwell Awards, one more than Notre Dame. Awarded since 1937 it was not until 1959 until a Nittany Lion was honored as the top player in college football.

Richie Lucas, quarterback, took the top honor before moving on to a professional career in the American Football League with the Buffalo Bills. Despite being noted as the best all-around quarterback in Penn State history, the Heisman Trophy eluded him.

Offensive lineman Glenn Ressler received the Maxwell Award in 1964. Defensive tackle Mike Reid won the award in 1969, running back John Cappelletti won in 1973 (his Heisman winning season), quarterback Chuck Fusina won in 1978, and quarterback Kerry Collins won in 1994. Running back Larry Johnson was the last Nittany Lion to win the Maxwell Award, doing so in 2002.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has won the last two Maxwell Awards, only the second time in history a player has won two consecutive awards. Notre Dame running back John Lattner did so in 1952 and 1953.

Penn State has been the home of the most Chuck Bednarik Award recipients, with a Penn State player winning the award four times. Linebackers have been the dominant position, with LaVar Arrington winning the award in 1999. Paul Posluszny brought home the award in back-to-back seasons in 2005 and 2006.

Dan Connor followed that up by winning the award in 2007. No other university has won the award three years in a row. Current Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald won the award the first two years it was available in 1995 and 1996. Michigan's Charles Woodson won the award in 1997.

Rey Maualuga of USC won last year's Chuck Bednarik Award.

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