Blue White Illustrated

here, for me to be the one to have the jersey retired, it's unbelievable, said " Cappelletti, humble as ever, after receiving the honor. "It's hard to comprehend right now." Redshirt freshman running back Akeel Lynch is the number's current owner, and he will be allowed to keep it for the duration of his career. But when he's finished at Penn State, so is No. 22. No Penn State football player will ever wear it again. The announcement of Cappelletti's honor brought cheers from the crowd, and from Bill O'Brien, too. "I don't make those decisions, but I am very supportive of it," he said during his postgame news conference. "I think it is a high bar. I think you have to win the Heisman Trophy to get your number retired at Penn State." If that's the case, then this is destined to be a very exclusive club. Although 16 Penn State players have finished in the top 10 in Heisman balloting, Cappelletti is the program's only winner. Over the years, three Penn State players have finished second: Rich Lucas (1963), Chuck Fusina (1978) and Ki-Jana Carter (1994). Six others have finished in the top five of the balloting, most recently quarterback Michael Robinson, who was fifth in 2005. So while Penn State has had its share of first-team All-Americans (97), College Football Hall of Famers (22) and even Pro Football Hall of Famers (six), it hasn't added another Heisman to its trophy case. And it's in good company in that regard. Only 17 schools in the country have more than one Heisman winner, and only nine schools have more than two. (Notre Dame leads the way with seven.) If a Heisman Trophy is a requirement for admission, it's likely that this will remain a club of one for a while. Which might not be such a bad thing, at least from a logistical standpoint. Major-college football teams typically have about 110 players on their rosters, so even if all 99 numbers are available, a certain amount of duplication is necessary. At Penn State, 20 sets of players are wearing duplicate numbers this season. Lynch is one of them; he shares his No. 22 jersey with redshirt sophomore linebacker T.J. Rhattigan. But winning the Heisman Trophy may not, in fact, be the only way to have one's number retired. While athletic director Dave Joyner said Penn State has established "some pretty stringent criteria" to ensure that the list of potential honorees consists of only the most deserving, those criteria do provide an opportunity for others to receive consideration. There's a 40-year waiting period, Joyner said, and a requirement that the candidate in question have won a national award. The candidate must have received a degree, but it need not be from Penn State. Also, there is an ethics clause. With other national award winners eligible for inclusion, the list of potential honorees grows significantly. Seven Penn Staters have won the Maxwell Award, which is presented to "the outstanding player in college football" by the Philadelphia-based Maxwell Football Club. In addition to Cappelletti, Lucas and Fusina, Penn State's Maxwell Award honorees include Glenn Ressler (1964), Mike Reid (1969), Kerry Collins (1994) and Larry Johnson (2002). In addition, numerous players have been saluted as the top performers at their specific positions. For example, the Lions have had three Butkus Award winners (LaVar Arrington, Paul Posluszny and Dan Connor), helping cement their reputation as Linebacker U. But even if the criteria are broadened to include winners of other trophies, a lot of potentially deserving athletes will be left out. There are a handful of athletes, such as Michael Mauti, whose impact away from the field was as large as what they did between the white lines, and there have even been athletes, like Adam Taliaferro, whose stature in the Penn State community has little to do with their athletic accomplishments. Should they, too, receive consideration? There's a separate argument to be made that the next honoree should come from one of Penn State's other varsity teams. The list of worthy candidates grows expo- WE B SURV E Y WHICH PSU ATHLETE SHOULD BE THE NEXT TO HAVE THEIR NUMBER RETIRED? No. 42. For all that Mauti did for this program and school and what he went through personally. I think we have to retire his number. PSU2114 If they were to retire any player, I believe it should be Curt Warner. I wasn't around for the Cappy years but began watching PSU seriously as a kid starting about 1977-78. Until Warner came, it was Suhey and Guman up the middle. Warner's speed and cutting ability transformed the team and opened up the pass. Penn State does not reach the heights it once did without him. Eilion I'd go with a linebacker: Jack Ham. Maybe not popular with the board, but we are Linebacker U, and he was one of the best ever. Or Rosey Grier could be another, albeit not a linebacker. Baircub1 Without much debate: Mike Reid. Why? Mike's accomplishments epitomized Joe Paterno's Grand Experiment. College Football Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He achieved the highest distinction of recognition in both college football and in country music. How much more diverse can you get? lionlover None should ever be retired. 2012 has been raised. That is a story unto itself. Hotshoe None. Only Heisman winners should have numbers retired. However, I would strongly support doing something like Michigan does with "legacy" numbers that get assigned to players. That way, the numbers get to live on and the tradition keeps building. Numbers like 12, 14, 31 and 42 come to mind here. Ctel12592 I think that numbers should be posted in the stadium but maybe not retired. Certainly other numbers should only be considered if they are on a level with what Cappy accomplished. Personally, I would like to see signs more prominently displayed around the stadium for all former All-Americans. They could be grouped by position with a list of all All-Americans and their number. Taa120

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