UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State national award winner and first-team All-America linebacker LaVar Arrington has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class. Arrington will be inducted to the Hall of Fame December 6, 2022 at the 64th National Football Foundation (NFF) Annual Awards Dinner.
Arrington and the 21 inductees (18 players, 3 coaches) will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the fall. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
Arrington is the 26th member (20 players, 6 coaches) of the Penn State football family to be elected to the College Hall of Fame. Quarterback Kerry Collins was the most recent player inductee in 2018.
"First and foremost, I want to give a sincere thank you to my family because without them, I would have come up short," said Arrington. "My parents, brothers and sister instilled in me a mindset that was built so deep and so strong.
"Next, I want to thank Coach Paterno, my coaches and my teammates. They all played a big part in my development. I love Coach Bradley, a super, awesome confidant and guidance for me. I would also like to thank so many people who played a major role in all of this, including Don Ferrell, Todd Kulka, Mark and Sue Sherburne, Dr. Dave Yukelson, Brad "Spider" Caldwell, Kirk Diehl, Tim Shope and Tom Venturino.
"To my teammates, if it wasn't for some of the greatest players ever to play college football, I would not have been the player I was able to be. This is for our whole squad and whole defensive unit. I couldn't have been what I was without Courtney Brown, Brandon Short, Mac Morrison, Imani Bell, David Fleischhauer, Brad Scioli, Derek Fox, David Macklin, Anthony King, Askari Adams and James Boyd. We were all just trying to be great and it just so happens I'm a representative of the greatness we were trying to achieve.
"A big thank you to my wife, Trishia, and to my kids, Keeno, Marlee, LaVar, Laila and Penn, who is named after Penn State. Hopefully one day Keeno and little LaVar will be playing football and continuing the legacy at Penn State. I am super proud of my family. I know being a Hall of Famer has a lot to do with what you do off the field, as much as you do on the field and after your career. I would not be able to be the figure, the mentor, the businessperson and the father I am without the support and love of my entire family.
"I certainly want to send a much deserved thank you to Penn State for supporting me. I also appreciate the support from all the fans. They have always been the greatest fans in the world. The love I feel even to this day is just unmatched.
"Lastly, I want to give a thank you to the National Football Foundation for letting me enter into the golden gates of football, college football immortality."
"We could not be more excited for LaVar on his election to the College Football Hall of Fame," said Penn State head coach James Franklin. "He is truly one of the all-time greats to ever put on a Penn State uniform. This is a well-deserved honor for an individual who has contributed so much to Penn State as a player, teammate, leader and role model to our organization. I have really enjoyed getting to know LaVar since I arrived to Happy Valley and can see why he is one of the most cherished individuals in this community. He is a true Penn Stater, and I would like to congratulate him on this tremendous achievement."
"We would like to congratulate LaVar Arrington on his election into the College Football Hall of Fame," said Sandy Barbour, Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. "LaVar had a tremendous career at Penn State and is extremely deserving of this recognition. He was and continues to be a great representative of Penn State University and our football program. LaVar accomplished so much in football, which included being a two-time All-American, Butkus Award winner and Bednarik Award winner. He has been a key contributor to the Penn State community as well. We are beyond thrilled for LaVar on earning college football's ultimate honor."
The 12th Nittany Lion ever selected as a two-time First Team All-American, Arrington earned unanimous honors in 1999. In 1999, he was the recipient of the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and the Bednarik Award as the country's top defensive player. A finalist for the Nagurski and Lombardi awards, Arrington finished ninth in the 1999 Heisman Trophy voting. A two-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree, Arrington became the first sophomore to ever be named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year when he received the honor in 1998.
The 1999 Jack Lambert Award recipient led the Nittany Lions to three bowl games, including wins in the 1999 Outback Bowl and the 1999 Alamo Bowl. Penn State finished in the top 20 national rankings all three years of his career, highlighted by a No. 11 finish in 1999. Arrington racked up 173 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 19 sacks and three interceptions. The Big Ten Network named him to its "Mount Rushmore of Penn State Football," and he was elected to the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2011 for his excellence at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh.
The second overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Washington Football Team, Arrington played for Washington from 2000-05 and then for the New York Giants in 2006. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Future for Football, The William V. Campbell Trophy®, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
