Penn State Sports Magazine
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Fagnano. All nine are from Pennsylva- nia. "They're guys who have improved so much in their time here at Penn State," O'Brien said. "High school players in the state of Pennsylvania can really look at that and say, 'Here's a place that I've grown up loving, and I've al- ways wanted to play at, and here's my opportunity to go play and potentially earn a scholarship in my time there.' Hopefully that resonates with kids in Pennsylvania." The Nittany Lions have long been known for turning walk-ons into stars. There seemed to be a special place in Joe Paterno's heart for those scrappy overachievers who may not have arrived with a lot of fanfare but who always practiced hard. The Nittany Lions' career interceptions leader is a walk-on: Neal Smith, who intercepted 19 passes and went on to become an All-American in 1969. Their career receptions leader? He's a walk-on, too: Deon Butler, who caught 179 passes for 2,771 yards from 2005 to 2008. There have been plenty of others, as well, guys like tight end Troy Drayton, who went on to have a nine-year NFL career, and Gregg Gar- rity, star of Penn State's victory over Georgia in the 1983 Sugar Bowl, which clinched the team's first national cham- pionship. Day wasn't thinking about that history when he decided to come to Penn State as a preferred walk-on. He was being recruited by some high-level Division I-AA schools, but the offers disappeared late in his senior season. During a dis- trict playoff game against Manheim Central, an opposing player hit Day just above his ankle. He could feel his tibia and fibula snap and knew right away that his football future was in jeopardy. The injury was so bad that surgeons needed eight screws and a metal plate to rebuild his leg. That brought an end to any chance at a scholarship offer. Given a choice be- tween walking on at Penn State or doing the same at one of the smaller schools on his list, he chose the Nittany Lions, the team he had followed growing up. "It was a little bit frustrating," Day SEE WALK-ON PAGE 61 LOU ' S V I E W Resident PSU sports historian Lou Prato ranks the Lions' greatest walk-ons 1 | NEAL SMITH (DB, 1967-69) 19 INT, 152 YDS, 1 TD First true walk-on to become a three-year starter and first-team All-Ameri- can (1969). … Still holds Penn State record for career interceptions with 19; his record 10 interceptions in 1969 was tied by Pete Harris in 1978. … Made two key interceptions in the '70 Orange Bowl. … Most clutch play was a partially blocked punt in the '69 Orange Bowl that spurred a come-from- behind 15-14 victory over Kansas. … A true scholar-athlete with a 3.5-plus GPA in civil engineering. 2 | DEON BUTLER (WR, 2005-08) 1799 REC, 2,771 YDS, 22 TDS Stunned everyone by developing into one of the greatest receivers in Penn State history. … Broke Bobby Engram's career record for receptions with 179. … Was considered the go-to receiver on the two best teams of the 2000s and still holds or is tied for the lead in 11 other team receiving records. 3 | GREGG GARRITY (WR, 1981-84) 58 REC, 952 YDS, 4 TDS Was one of the most clutch receivers in school history and proved it in the '82 national championship game. His diving catch for a 47-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter was the turning point of the game, making him an everlasting hero to the Penn State nation. … Upon graduation, was 14th in career reception yardage. 4 | JOHN BRUNO (P, 1984-86) 204 PUNTS, 8,508 YDS, 41.7 AVG Helped win the national championship in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl with nine punts for a 43.4-yard average, including three that were downed inside the 11- yard line. … Was a three-year starting punter and still holds the season record for most punts (79) and yardage (3273) and he's No. 5 in career av- erage (41.7 yards). 5-T | TROY DRAYTON (WR/TE, 1991-92) 48 REC, 692 YDS, 3 TDS Was switched to tight end as a junior and caught 12 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns and started in the Fiesta Bowl. … Blossomed as a sen- ior, finishing the '92 season with 36 catches for 488 yards and a score – a record at the time for receptions by a tight end. 5-T | JOE IORIO (C, 1999-02) Started as a guard in his true freshman year, playing in the second game of the season, and then moved to center, becoming the first true freshman walk-on to start in the first 34 years of Joe Paterno's tenure. … Remains the only walk-on to become a first-team Academic All-American and earn an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.