Penn State Sports Magazine
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1 4 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M When he learned that he had been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, LaVar Arrington couldn't wait to share the news. On Jan. 6, the former Linebacker U great tweeted a photo of the ceremo- nial football that new members are sent prior to the official announcement of the induction class. There was a box in the background of the photo from which the ball had seemingly just been removed and an unopened letter still inside. Arrington probably should have opened the letter. As it turned out, in- ductees are supposed to keep the news quiet until the full class is announced on the day of the College Football Playoff championship game. Arrington made his induction public four days early. "I missed the small print," he said sheepishly a few days later in a short video posted to Twitter. "My apologies. I messed that one up." Maybe so, but Arrington didn't mess up very often at Penn State. He totaled 173 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 19 sacks and three interceptions during his three seasons as a key member of the Nit- tany Lions' defense. The most famous of those stops was the "LaVar Leap," a spectacular play against Illinois in 1998 when he jumped over the line of scrim- mage just as the ball was being snapped and landed on fullback Elmer Hickman in the backfield a split-second after the handoff. In that moment, as in so many oth- ers, Arrington's timing was impeccable. He received All-America notice after his sophomore and junior seasons, and became the first sophomore ever to be named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Following the 1999 season, he won the Butkus and Bednarik Awards, with the former going to the nation's top linebacker and the latter honoring the top defensive player. Arrington left Penn State after his ju- nior season to enter the NFL Draft. He was chosen second overall by Washing- ton — one spot behind fellow Nittany Lions defensive star Courtney Brown — and played six seasons with that team and one with the New York Giants, earning Pro Bowl notice three times. After his election to the College Hall of Fame, the Pittsburgh native and North Hills High standout thanked the people at Penn State who helped de- velop him into one of the top college players in the country, from head coach Joe Paterno to defensive coordinator Tom Bradley to his teammates and nu- merous members of the Nittany Lions' support staff. "We were all just trying to be great," Arrington said, "and it just so happens I'm a representative of the greatness we were trying to achieve." Since the end of his playing career, he has gone into broadcasting, launched a sports agency and founded an athletic Arrington was a consensus All-American and won the Butkus and Bednarik Awards following the 1999 season, his last at Penn State before entering the NFL Draft. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL LaVar Arrington Named To College Football Hall Of Fame