Playing the opposite flank from Bob Mitinger, an All American, could
have kept David Robinson in the shadows but the talent of this 6'3", 220 pound
defensive terror was too great for any circumstances to hide. The Mooresville,
N.J. player teamed with Mitinger to provide Penn State with perhaps the best
end tandem in the country in '61 and after Mitinger went on to the Chargers
for his pro career, Robinson excelled in 1962, catching 17 passes for 178
yards and leading the team to an overall 9-2 record. Robinson was the first
African-American to play in the Gator Bowl when the Lions lost to Florida in
the 1962 contest but his ferocious play caused Vince Lombardi to select him as
the Packers first choice Robinson was named All Pro three times, finished his
career with the Redskins and was voted into the National Football Foundation
College Football Hall Of Fame in 1997.
Viewed as a rebuilding year, the 7-3 record of 1963 was better than Engle
expected. QB was still well-manned by Liske but the remainder of the backfield
was pedestrian by past standards. Bill Bowes and future Penn State defensive
coordinator Jerry Sandusky held down the end positions with the other future
Penn State assistant Dick Anderson a reliable receiver. Sandusky as a
defensive standout as a sophomore. The star was Glenn Ressler, future
Baltimore Colt who had a career day in the 10-7 victory over Ohio State
with fourteen unassisted tackles, most of them in the second half when they
were most needed. Ralph Baker played terrifically at linebacker as a prelude
to his eleven-year career with the Jets. Unfortunately losses to Syracuse,
Army, and Pitt negated another Lambert Trophy year, emblematic of Eastern
supremacy. Without a lettering QB returning, oft-injured Gary Wydman directed
the slow-starting Lions whose passes were primarily directed at senior
receivers Bill Bowes and Jerry Sandusky whose forte was defense. Future Colt
Glenn Ressler again did it all, playing center on offense and shutting down
everything that ran up the middle on the defensive line. The season began 1-4
and closed at 5-0 including a shutout win over Ohio State and the overall 6-4
record was good enough to win the coveted Lambert Trophy a the best in the
East despite the consternation of "doing it the hard way." The heart and
unwillingness to throw in the towel made the '64 squad one of Engle's
favorites. Despite the 5-5 record that marked Rip Engle's final year as head
coach, this was the beginning of the Penn State dynasty. The talent level was
high and deep in the underclass ranks although the hint of dominance was not
yet apparent in the team's play. Jack White, backed up by sophomore Tom
Sherman led the squad from the QB position with vets Don Kunit (a future
Westchester Bull of the ACFL) and Dave McNaughton in the backfield. The
injured Roger Grimes would have added much to the attack. Jerry Sandusky
finished his career seeing action on both sides of the ball while soph Bill
Lenkaitis stepped in at tackle. Dave Rowe, 6'7" DT who later played in the NFL
for thirteen years and spent time as a Wide World Of Sports broadcaster filled
in for the departed Ressler. Future NY Giant Rich Buzin was another of the
youngsters who played like a long time vet at guard.
It was understood that assistant Joe Paterno, the mastermind of the offense
and developer of quarterbacks would step into the head coaching position upon
Engle's retirement. It had become easier to recruit talented players to the
isolated mountain campus and the program was now recognized as the class of
the East having stepped out in front of Syracuse and Pitt. In the New York
Metropolitan area and Long Island, Paterno's ascension to the head coaching
position marked the point where the Penn State assistants could come to local
high schools and get a long list of the best players "because we're Penn
State" and had but Notre Dame and Ohio State only as contenders at the
national level. Unfortunately, Paterno's first squad had few good and
experienced offensive linemen and it was reflected in a 5-5 record. Junior
tackle Bill Lenlaitis who later had a fourteen year NFL career was the main
man but promise was shown by soph end Ted Kwalick. Paterno had two decent QB's
in Jack White and young Tom Sherman who threw primarily to wide receiver Jack
Curry and run-catch threat back Bob Campbell. Defense was beginning to become
a trademark with Dave Rowe at noseguard, future Bills two-way tackle Mike
McBath, and Rich Buzin and Lenkaitis, also playing both offense and defense.
Paterno was glad to now hold the reins and excited about a very promising
freshmen class, enough to take the sting out of his first year's record.
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