IRVING, Texas (Oct. 2, 2024) – Penn State and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2024 College Football Hall of Fame electee Paul Posluszny with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Oct. 5, during the Nittany Lions' home football game against UCLA, which will kick off at 12:00 p.m. ET on FOX.
 
"An All-American on the field and in the classroom, Paul Posluszny is the only defensive player to ever win National Defensive Player of the Year and Academic All-American of the Year honors in the same season," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are thrilled to honor him at Beaver Stadium as a member of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class."
 
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the Hall of Fame experience.
 
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
 
A two-time First All-American (consensus in 2005), Posluszny is one of only two two-time winners of the Bednarik Award as the best defender in the nation, claiming the award in 2005 and 2006. He claimed the 2005 Butkus Award as the best linebacker in the nation and was a finalist in 2006. A starter in his last 37 games, he finished his career with 372 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, nine sacks, two interceptions and three forced fumbles. The team MVP in 2006, Posluszny's 372 career tackles rank second all-time at Penn State.
 
A 2006 NFF National Scholar-Athlete and a finalist for the Campbell Trophy® with a 3.56 GPA, Posluszny was named the Academic All-American of the Year in 2006, a two-time First Team Academic All-American and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. Click here for his full Hall of Fame bio. 
 
The Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, product now becomes the 20^th Penn State player to enter the Hall, joining Pete Mauthe (1909-12), Dexter Very (1909-12), Shorty Miller (1910-13), Glenn Killinger (1918-21), Steve Suhey (1942; 46-47), Richie Lucas (1957-59), Dave Robinson (1960-62), Glenn Ressler 1962-64), Mike Reid (1966; 68-69), Ted Kwalick (1966-68), Dennis Onkotz (1967-69), Lydell Mitchell (1969-71), Jack Ham (1968-70), John Cappelletti (1971-73), Keith Dorney (1975-78), Curt Warner (1979-82), Shane Conlan (1983-86), Kerry Collins (1991-94), and LaVar Arrington (1997-99).

Hall of Fame coaches who headed the Lions program include Hugo Bezdek, Rip Engle, Dick Harlow, Bob Higgins, and Joe Paterno.

The 2024 class includes Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State), the late Paul Cameron (UCLA), Tim Couch (Kentucky), Warrick Dunn (Florida State), Armanti Edwards (Appalachian State), Deon Figures (Colorado), Larry Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh), Toby Gerhart (Stanford), Dan Hampton (Arkansas), Steve Hutchinson (Michigan), Antonio Langham (Alabama), Randy Moss (Marshall), Julius Peppers (North Carolina), Paul Posluszny (Penn State), Dewey Selmon (Oklahoma), Alex Smith (Utah), Kevin Smith (Texas A&M), Chris Ward (Ohio State), Danny Woodhead (Chadron State [NE]), and coaches Mark Dantonio (Cincinnati, Michigan State); Danny Hale (West Chester [PA], Bloomsburg [PA]); and Frank Solich (Nebraska, Ohio). 
 
The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted at the National Football Foundation's 66^th Annual Awards Dinner presented by Las Vegas on Tuesday Dec. 10 at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Click here for more information on the Awards Dinner, including options to purchase tickets online, special travel rates to the event from Delta Air Lines and hotel rates at Bellagio.
 
Including the 2024 Hall of Fame Class, only 1,093 players and 233 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.78 million who have played or coached the game during the past 156 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of the individuals who have played the game have earned this distinction.
 
Fidelity Investments has served as the national presenting sponsor of the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes since 2010. The salutes are one component of a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education. Fidelity is also the presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, and it helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes in 2011, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives around the country.

   
 

ABOUT FIDELITY INVESTMENTS
Fidelity's mission is to strengthen the financial well-being of our customers and deliver better outcomes for the clients and businesses we serve.  Fidelity's strength comes from the scale of our diversified, market-leading financial services businesses that serve individuals, families, employers, wealth management firms, and institutions. With assets under administration of $14.1 trillion, including discretionary assets of $5.5 trillion as of June 30, 2024, we focus on meeting the unique needs of a broad and growing customer base. Privately held for 78 years, Fidelity employs more than 75,000 associates across the United States, Ireland, and India. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit https://www.fidelity.com/about-fidelity/our-company.

ABOUT The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship, and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters in 47 states, NFF programs include the criteria, selection and induction of members of the College Football Hall of Fame; the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta; Future For Football; I Played; the William V. Campbell Trophy®; the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments; the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Awards presented by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation & Hatchell Cup presented by the Original Bob's Steak & Chop House; and a series of programs and initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Bruin Capital, Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Hampshire Companies, Hanold Associates Executive Search, Jostens, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, New York Athletic Club, Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.