Why Pennsylvania is the best football state in America...

14260 I am so damn SICK AND TIRED of SEC Country running their mouths about how "great" High School and college football in the south.  Most people forget to realize that Pennsylvania has more tradition than any state as it pertains to High School, and can match any state with college football tradition. Let me start with college football, and the main programs in Pennsylvania.  Penn State University has the winningest coach in Division I in Joe Paterno.  Not to mention their reputation as Linebacker U- linebackers like Arrington, Short, and I can go on.  Many Nittany Lions have vaulted into NFL stardom- Cappelletti, Collins, Brady, Arrington, Engram, and many others.  Despite his off-field problems, Kerry Collins took the 2000 Giants to a Super Bowl.  I understand some of Paterno's recent players have had some legal scrapes, but Joe Pa handled it the right way, and Paterno's players graduate.  Also, look at Stroh1313's photos, he is very close to the first starting black Linebacker in NFL history, Dave Robinson. There is also the University of Pittsburgh.  Pitt is known nowadays as a basketball powerhouse, but a return to glory on the gridiorn is on the rise in Panther Country.  Tony Dorsett won a Heisman Trophy while toting the rock for the Panthers.  NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino is also a Pitt alum, and former Pennsylvania High School football star (and former Chicago Bears head coach) Dave Wannstedt is the current field boss for Pittsburgh.  Most recently, star Cardinals Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald played at Pitt. There is a Division 1-A school that is in obscurity in Pennsylvania, the Temple Owls.  Temple has been a journeyman program, getting booted from the Big East, and currently in the Mid-American Conference for football.  The Owls have fallen on hard times, not having a winning season since 1990, under Jerry Berndt.  Not many people know this- but the most played rivalry in all of college football also resides in Pennsylvania, between two 1-AA schools in the Allentown area.  Those two schools are the Lehigh Mountain Hawks and the Lafayette Leopards.  What is amazing is that both schools are in the Patriot League, which does not award athletic scholarships. On the 1-AA level in Pennsylvania, Villanova and Penn are also solid programs.  Current Pro Bowler Brian Westbrook played his college football at Villanova, as did Howie Long.  Chuck Bednarik was a Penn Quaker.  Penn has one of the largest stadiums for a 1-AA program in Franklin Field.  Let me now start with the High School football in Pennsylvania.  Numerous players enshrined in Canton started in Pennsylvania High School football programs.  Herb Adderley (Northeast High School- Philadelphia), Joe Montana (Ringgold), Joe Namath (Beaver Falls), Dan Marino (Pittsburgh Central Catholic), John Cappelletti (Monsignor #### ), Tony Dorsett (Hopewell), Jim Kelly (East Brady), Chuck Bednarik (Bethlehem Liberty), Jack Ham (Bishop McCort), George Blanda (Youngwood), Emlen Tunnell (Radnor), and Johnny Unitas (St. Justin). Other big names who played High School football in Pennsylvania include coach Marty Schottenheimer (Fort Cherry) and Mike Ditka (Aliquippa), Frank Wycheck (Arichbishop Ryan), Troy Vincent (Pennsbury), Eddie George (Abington), Fred Biletnikoff (Erie Tech), Ed McCaffrey (Allentown Central Catholic), John Spagnola (Bethlehem Catholic), Don Strock (Owen J. Roberts), Jason Taylor (Woodland Hills), broadcaster Jim Nance (Indiana Area), Gus Frerotte (Ford City), Rich Gannon (St. Joesph's Prep- Philadelphia), Curtis Martin (Taylor Allerdice), Ty Law (Aliquippa), Marc Bulger (Pitt Central Catholic), Lavar Arrington (North Hills), James Mungro (East Stroudsburg), Matt Schaub (West Chester East), Bob Sanders (Erie Cathedral Prep), Kevin Jones (Cardinal O'Hara), Kerry Collins (Wilson-West Lawn), Kerry Collins (Wilson- West Lawn), Chris Bahr (Neshaminy), Mark Stepnoski (Erie Cathedral Prep), Ricky Watters (Bishop McDevitt- Harrisburg), Marvin Harrison (Roman Catholic- Philadelphia), Paul Pozlusny (Hopewell), Matt Bahr (Neshaminy), Jim Cefalo (Pittston), Matt Millen (Whitehall), Russ Grimm (Mount Lebanon), Jeff Hostetler (Conemaugh Township), Steve Bono (Norristown), Frank Reich (Cedar Crest), Ron Solt (Coughlin), Bill Fralic (HS- ?, NCAA- Pitt), Bill Callahan (Valley), Carelton Haselrig (Greater Johnstown), Scott Zolak (Ringgold), Gregg Skrepenak (Wilkes Barre GAR), Kyle Brady (Cedar Cliff), and Tim Ruddy (Dunmore). true

2009-07-04T03:50:29Z

88547 1 Why Pennsylvania is the best football state in America...

2009-07-04T03:50:53Z