Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1514597
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4 6 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M myself the best ever. … I don't think I've reached my potential, in other words." A Brilliant Career In what may be the most consequen- tial stay-or-go decision in Penn State history, Conlan ultimately chose to spend one more season in State College. His impact that year can't be overstated. Conlan totaled 79 tackles and was a consensus first-team All-American. More important, he helped Penn State accomplish what it set out to do that season, leading it to the championship it had been denied the year before. Facing Miami in the Fiesta Bowl with the national crown at stake, Conlan made one of the more celebrated plays in PSU history. His twisting interception of Vinny Testaverde in the fourth quarter set up a 6-yard D.J. Dozier touchdown run that provided PSU with the decisive points in its 14-10 victory over the Hur- ricanes. Despite playing with a leg injury he suffered in a collision with a teammate during the first quarter, Conlan finished the game with 8 tackles and 2 intercep- tions, winning Defensive MVP honors in what remains arguably the pinnacle of Penn State's long football history. "I was in a lot of good positions to make a lot of plays," he said afterward. In addition to its immediate dividends, his decision to stay also had a substantial long-term payoff. He improved his stock and was taken eighth overall by the Buf- falo Bills in the 1987 NFL Draft. Conlan went on to play nine NFL seasons — six with the Bills and three more with the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams. He was the NFL Rookie of the Year after the '87 sea- son, was a three-time All-Pro and was part of three Buffalo teams that played in the Super Bowl. In 2009, he was one of 25 players named to the Bills' 50th Anniversary Team. Competitive Demeanor In 2014, Conlan was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame alongside such luminaries as Alabama linebacker Derrick Thomas, TCU tailback LaDai- nian Tomlinson and South Carolina re- ceiver Sterling Sharpe. It was a moment that few could have foreseen back in 1982 when he was a little-known recruit coming out of Frewsburg, N.Y. Joe Paterno hadn't been entirely con- vinced that Penn State should even take Conlan. The Lions' longtime head coach only relented after some aggressive lob- bying by assistant Tom Bradley, who had come away impressed after watch- ing a Frewsburg Central boys' basketball game in which Conlan's bruising com- petitive demeanor was on full display. As Bradley later told Sports Illustrated, "I knew he was a football player when he fouled out with about six minutes left in the third quarter." Though he was undersized at 185 pounds, Conlan was convinced he could play big-time college football. Bradley also recognized his potential, and even- tually Paterno did, too. Conlan remains grateful that they believed in him. "There was nobody recruiting me, except for Penn State. I got turned down by Syracuse and Ohio State. They just said, 'No,'" Conlan told reporters prior to his Hall of Fame induction. "Tom kept fighting the good fight. It was very fortunate for me that he kept at it. My high school coach, Tom Sharp, and Tom Bradley [were advocates]. Obviously, I appreciated it. … [Penn State] took a gamble, and it paid off." Conlan paid them back for their faith by returning for one last season. Over the years, his decision to come back in 1986 has been portrayed as a show of loyalty to Penn State, his teammates and the cause that they were all working toward. But even at the time, the star linebacker was open about his motives. In addition to wanting to chase a championship and finish work on his administration of jus- tice degree, he sought to better position himself for the draft, believing that he still had the potential to improve his spot. "I hate to sound selfish," he told Sports Illustrated, "but sometimes you have to do what's best for you." ■ Conlan, whose 274 tackles ranked second in Penn State history at the time of his graduation, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS "There was nobody recruiting me, except for Penn State. I got turned down by Syracuse and Ohio State. They just said, 'No.' … [Penn State] took a gamble, and it paid off." C O N L A N