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"I feel thankful that I got out of it with relatively few serious injuries and the wear and tear isn't as bad as some guys my age who already have had joint replacements. But I feel it every day in my knees, my ankles, my hips, my shoulders – every day." Asked if it was all worth it, Brady laughed and said, "Maybe you ought to ask me that in 15 to 30 years to see how much pain I'm in then." Yet, despite his aches and pains, Brady has no regrets about playing in the NFL. Of the 324 Nittany Lions draft- ed into the NFL since the first one was taken in 1940, only eight have played longer than Brady, and that includes two kickers (Matt and Chris Bahr), a quarterback (Brady's teammate Kerry Collins) and one other tight end (Mick- ey Shuler Sr.). Although he never made the Pro Bowl, Brady was steady and dependable. He played in 195 games, starting 175 of them, and fin- ished with 343 receptions for 3,115 yards – an average of 10.3 yards per catch – and 25 touchdowns. "When I was a real young kid, it was- n't my dream to play professional football. I did always dream about be- ing a professional athlete, but I thought my best opportunity would be in pro- fessional baseball because that is L O U ' S V I E W Penn State's resident sports historian ranks the Lions' best tight ends 1 TED KWALICK(1966-68) 86 REC, 1,343 YDS, 10 TDS Penn State's first pure tight end set a team standard that has never been equaled. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and was one of 85 players named to Sports Illustrated's all- time 20th century team. Kwalick was the Nittany Lions' first two-time first- team All-American (1967-68) in 50 years and finished fourth in the Heis- man Trophy bal- loting in 1968. He still holds Nittany Lion tight end records for career yardage and touchdowns, and his 86 receptions rank second only to Andrew Quarless's 87. TED KWALICK 2 KYLE BRADY (1991-94) 76 REC, 940 YDS, 9 TDS Brady was the only other Penn State tight end to be named a first- team All-American (1994) and was perhaps the best blocker of anyone ever to play the position for the Li- ons. He will always be remembered for his blocking and key receptions during the undefeated 1994 season. That year, he caught 27 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns. 30 J U N E 1 , 2 0 1 2 Brady ranks third among tight ends and 18th among all receivers with 76 career catches (for 940 yards and five TDs). 3 MICKEY SHULER SR. (1975-77) 66 REC, 1,016 YDS, 4 TDS Shuler was a sec- Paterno-Pattee Library Archives ond-team All-Amer- ican in 1977 when he led Penn State receivers for the second year in row with 33 catches for 600 yards and a touchdown. His yardage total re- mains a single-sea- son record for a Nittany Lion tight end. Shuler re- mains 25th in ca- reer receptions (66) and 21st in yardage (1,016). He may be Brady's peer as a blocker, and his 14-year pro career is the longest of any Penn State tight end. 4 DAN NATALE (1972-74) 67 REC, 1,038 YDS, 8 TDS Often overlooked because he never played professionally, Natale was a second-team All-American as a jun- ior on the 1973 unbeaten team. As a sophomore, he was the team's lead- ing receiver (30 for 460 yards), and his five touchdowns that season tie him with Bob Parsons for most in one year by a tight end. He still ranks 23rd-best in career receptions (67), 20th in yardage (1,038 yards) and is second to Kwalick in touch- downs (eight). T-5 MIKE MCCLOSKEY (1979-82) KIRK BOWMAN (1981-83) McCloskey and Bowman aren't among State's best tight ends in his- tory, but they are on this list be- cause of their controversial recep- tions in the great come-from-behind victory over Nebraska in 1982. With- out McCloskey's debatable sideline reception at the 2-yard line and "Stonehands" Bowman's diving TD catch, it's unlikely the Lions would have won their first national cham- pionship. – L.P. Ranking the best from before the modern era In selecting Penn State's all-time best tight ends, one needs to separate the modern era beginning in the early 1960s from the previous decades of the 20th century. The power-running single-wing formation dominat- ed college football offenses in the first half of the century. Blocking was vital to the off-tackle runs and sweeps, but pass receiving was second- ary. Furthermore, until the inception of unlimited substitution rules in 1965, most players also had to play defense. 1. BOB HIGGINS (1914-1916, 1919) Hall of Fame inductee (1954). … State's first two-time first-team All-American (1914, 1919) and first sophomore All- American. … Better known as head coach (1930-48). 2. DEX VERY (1909-12) Hall of Fame inductee (1976). … Second-team All-Ameri- can (1911-12). … Started every game in four years and was captain of undefeated 1911 team. 3. TOM VARGO (1938-40) Second Penn State player drafted by the NFL (ninth round, 72nd overall in 1941 by the Chicago Cardinals) but passed up pro ball to coach and teach. 4. STAN MCCOLLUM (1920-21) Second-team All-American (1921). … Starter on 1920-21 unbeaten teams. … Held single-game receptions record (11 in 1921) for 70 years. 5. ALEX BARANTOICH (1936-38) Three-year starter (1936-38) during school's debil- itating de-emphasis period. … Known for aggressive defense and block- ing. what I flourished in as a youngster," Brady said. "It wasn't until I got old- er and started to physically develop and grow and fill out that it became ap- parent that probably football was go- ing to be my best opportunity to excel, and go to the next level, to college and eventually the pros. I think it was in high school when it finally dawned on me that maybe I can go pretty far with this if I work hard. So it became a W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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