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Curt Warner to join college Hall of Fame
by By Frank Fitzpatrick; Inquirer Staff Writer , The Philadelphia Inquirer
"When I was there, Joe was a tough man to play for. But times change. Looking back, he prepared us for the next level, whether that was the NFL or life. He was very transparent and we knew our boundaries."
Warner was one of 18 players and coaches selected by the College Football Foundation, a 2009 class that includes Notre Dame receiver
Warner, from the tiny West
The only two-time first-team all-American running back in Penn State history, he collected 3,398 career rushing yards and 18 100-yard rushing games - both still school records more than a quarter-century later.
"In all my years at Penn State, we've had a lot of exceptional backs, and he is one of the very best," Paterno said in a statement. "Curt was a leader for the great teams we had in the early 1980s. . . . [He] was a very good student, has been very loyal to Penn State and has made a positive impact on his community in Washington."
In bowl games after his junior and senior seasons, the swift, shifty and solid runner outgained Heisman Trophy running backs Marcus Allen of Southern Cal and Herschel Walker of Georgia.
In the 27-23 Sugar Bowl victory over Walker's Georgia that gave Paterno his first national championship, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound tailback collected 117 yards and two touchdowns.
"Joe had teams before us that could have been recognized as national champions, but for whatever reason weren't," Warner said. "So to be able to win that first one for him and for ourselves was pretty special."
Warner will be the 22d Penn Stater, including Paterno, in the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.
He also still holds the Nittany Lions' mark for all-purpose yards in a game (341), and is No. 2 behind Larry Johnson in career all-purpose yards (4,982).
The third overall selection - by the Seattle Seahawks ? in the 1983 NFL draft, Warner was a four-time all-pro who gained 6,844 yards and scored 56 touchdowns in his seven-year pro career.
Married with three children, he was inducted into the Seahawks' Ring of Honor in 1994. He is the running-backs coach at Camas (Wash.) High School. The founder and president of the Curt Warner Autism Foundation, he has become an active leader in Seattle-area charities.
Warner, who said the Chevrolet dealership he has operated since 1994 was "hanging on" in an economic slowdown that has devastated the auto industry, was exiting a meeting yesterday when he got the news.
"My wife called and told me," he said. "I said. 'Why didn't you let me know sooner?' And she said, 'I couldn't reach you, you were in another meeting.' All I know is I'm deeply honored."
College Football Hall Of Fame
Heisman Trophy winners
Others selected for induction by the National Football Foundation are: Penn State's Curt Warner; New Mexico State's Pervis Atkins; Arizona's Chuck Cecil; Auburn's Ed Dyas; West
The NFF's veteran's committee selected Williams Lewis, who played center for Harvard from 1892-93.
Coaches John Robinson of USC and Dick MacPherson of Syracuse will also be inducted in December.
Contact staff writer Frank Fitzpatrick at 215-854-5068
or ffitzpatrick@phillynews.com.
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