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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> H I S T O R Y T he sudden departure of Tommy Stevens following the end of spring practice has brought back memories of other high-pro9le quarterback trans- fers at Penn State. Stevens' surprising decision came just a few days a;er the end of spring practice and followed head coach James Franklin's public remarks about not naming a starting quarterback for 2019 until preseason prac- tice is well under way. Aware that he would not be guaranteed the starting position, Stevens bolted. Whatever the merits and reasons for his move, Stevens' transfer doesn't come close to comparing with the most mem- orable quarterback transfer in Penn State's history. That occurred at the end of the 1980 season when true sophomore Je: Hostetler transferred to West Virginia a;er losing the starting position to red- shirt sophomore Todd Blackledge and serving as the backup for most of the sea- son. The other quarterback at the time, Frank Rocco Jr., who had been competing for the starting position since 1979, con- tinued as a backup through 1981. The Hostetler transfer worked out in a big way for himself and Blackledge. Although Hostetler's transfer was not controversial, it had its own unique Penn State twist. A couple of years ear- lier, Je:'s older brothers, Ron and Doug, had been Nittany Lion line- backers. Ron was a backup in 1975 be- fore becoming a two-year starter. Doug was the second- team quarterback in 1976 before becom- ing a backup linebacker the following year, but a back injury prior to the '78 sea- son ended his Penn State career. We now know that Blackledge went on to lead Penn State to its 9rst national championship in 1982, winning the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's outstand- ing quarterback and 9nishing sixth in the Heisman Trophy vote. When he decided to forgo his 9nal season to enter the NFL Dra;, he held several school passing records. Until last season, Blackledge and Tony Sacca had the record for most wins by a starting Penn State quarterback with 29. Trace McSorley is now the record- holder with 31. Curiously, during Blackledge's three years at Penn State, he never was more than an honorable mention All-Ameri- can. However, he remains one of the school's finest scholar-athletes, a Phi Beta Kappa with a 3.80 GPA and the sec- ond Penn Stater inducted into the CoSIDA Academic Hall of Fame. He wasn't able to replicate his collegiate success during a seven-year NFL career, but he has become one of the most re- spected college football analysts in tel- evision and is a loyal Penn Stater. In 2007, the NCAA tapped Blackledge for its prestigious Silver Anniversary Award, which honors former student- athletes for their collegiate and profes- sional accomplishments 25 years after the end of their athletic eligibility. Only two other Nittany Lions have received the award: Mike Reid in 1995 and Dave Joyner in '97. As for Hostetler, his transfer to West Virginia dramatically changed his life. A;er sitting out the 1981 season in accor- dance with NCAA rules, he led the Moun- taineers to two 9-3 seasons, winning one bowl game and losing another while 9n- ishing 19th (1982) and 16th (1983) in the 9nal Associated Press polls. One has to dig deep to 9nd his name in the WVU THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY Tommy Stevens isn't the first Penn State quarterback to seek playing time elsewhere | NEW KID IN TOWN Bolden was a rare true freshman starter at quarter- back, but he left for LSU when he slipped to the third team later in his career. Photo by John Beale

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