Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1496986
6 2 M A Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M SETTING A STANDARD Linebacker Dave Robinson ranks among the greatest players that Penn State has ever sent to the NFL I f all of the mock drafts and big board rankings are to be believed — and there's no reason to think they shouldn't be — cornerback Joey Porter Jr. will soon become the 15th Penn State defensive player to be selected in the opening round of the NFL Draft and the first defensive back. By comparison, 26 Penn State offensive players over the years have heard their names called during the draft's first round. That disparity probably owes more to the league's ever- increasing emphasis on offense than to any slowdown in PSU's production of defensive talent. It certainly isn't a reflection of how the Nittany Lions' initial defensive first-rounder performed in the pros. That player was linebacker Dave Robinson. He was dominant at Penn State, and he was even better in the NFL. 'A Magnificent Athlete' Robinson had come to PSU from Mount Laurel, N.J. He had grown up on a farm in the little town on the eastern outskirts of Philadelphia, one of Mary and Leslie Robinson's nine children. In 1957, he played on an unbeaten state championship football team at Moorestown High, and when it came time to think about college, his coaches steered him toward Penn State. During his time with the Nittany Lions in the early 1960s, Robinson was a standout two-way player, excelling as a re- M A T T H E R B | M A T T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Robinson helped Penn State compile a 24-8 record during his three varsity seasons. He was named MVP of the Gator Bowl in 1962 even though Penn State lost to Florida 17-7. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS