The Names That Changed
Penn State.
Forever.

Penn State’s long athletic history has been celebrated over the years in many ways. But never before has Penn State had a Sports Hall of Fame. 

That changes today. 

Through an open election process that included a nomination and then voting process by Penn State fans, 17 names were chosen for the inaugural class of the Penn State Sports Hall of Fame. 

Criteria for the Penn State Sports Hall of Fame was based on impact to Penn State athletics. Former athletes must be four years removed from their playing days and former coaches must be one year removed from coaching. In order to keep the Penn State Sports Hall of Fame representative of all sports, no more than six of the 17 class members could have primary contributions as football players or coaches.

Jesse Arnelle

Years: 1951-1955
Sports: Basketball, Football
Positions: Forward, Receiver

Jesse Arnelle came to Penn State to play football and earned All-America honorable mentions as a receiver. He was even better as a basketball player, becoming the men’s basketball program’s first first-team All-Amercian and leading it to three NCAA Tournament appearances — including the 1954 Final Four. He remains atop Penn State’s career rebounding list (1,238) and was the program’s leading scorer (2,138 points) for 56 years. Arnelle still holds a handful of program records, including most points in a a half (30) and most rebounds in a game (27). He was the first Penn Stater to player to play in the NBA, for the Fort Wayne Pistons (they advanced to the NBA Finals that season), and later played for the Harlem Globetrotters. Arnelle was Penn State’s first Black student body president and first Black member and chair of the Penn State Board of Trustees. After his playing career ended, he served in the U.S. Air Force and the Peace Corps. After that, he built a long, successful career as a lawyer.

(Photo via blackhistory.psu.edu)

LaVar Arrington

Years: 1997-1999
Sports: Football
Positions: Linebacker

While he didn’t invent Linebacker U., LaVar Arrington was essential in bringing it back in the late 1990s. For many, his most memorable play came against Illinois in 1998, jumping over the offensive line to stop Illini rusher Elmer Hickman in the backfield. Arrington’s play on the field would help him earn All-American status in 1998 and 1999. In 1998, Arrington won Big Ten Co-defensive Player of The Year, before winning the Bedarik, Butkus and Lambert awards in 1999. Arrington then spent seven seasons in the NFL, six of which game in Washington, before retiring. Now, he focuses much of his work in the media and in Penn State’s NIL efforts where has been instrumental in creating Disrupt U, an arm of Penn State’s NIL approach.

(Photo via GoPSUSports.com)

Saquon Barkley

Years: 2015-2017
Sports: Football
Positions: Running Back

Arguably the 21st century’s best Penn State football player, Saquon Barkley nearly played at Rutgers before switching his commitment to Penn State under James Franklin. In his first game at Beaver Stadium, Barkley announced his presence with a hurdle of a Buffalo Bulls defender that signified what could be. What ended up being was a three-year career at Penn State that included propelling Penn State to a Big Ten Championship and a Fiesta Bowl trophy. His touchdown against Minnesota in 2016 served as a turning point to that season. In 2017, Barkley set the single-game total yards mark against Iowa, helping Penn State beat the Hawkeyes in one of the school’s best wins in the 2010s. As of the start of the 2025 football season, Barkley owns the school record in career rushing touchdowns and ranks second all-time in career rushing yards.

(Photo via GoPSUSports.com)

John Cappelletti

Years: 1969-1973
Sports: Football
Positions: Running Back

Penn State’s only Heisman Trophy winner, John Cappelletti won the award in 1973 when he rushed for 1,522 yards with 17 touchdowns as the team went 12-0. Cappelletti rushed for 200-plus yards in three consecutive games (vs. Maryland, NC State and Ohio University) during the final month of the season. A consensus All-American, he dedicated the award to his brother who was battling cancer, and that provided the inspiration for a 1977 made-for-TV movie (“Something for Joey”). Cappelletti, who started his career at Penn State as a defensive back, was a first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams. He played eight seasons in the NFL for the Rams and San Diego Chargers, appearing in 105 games and compiling 4,184 all-purpose yards and 28 touchdowns.

(Photo via Heisman.com)

Barney Ewell

Years: 1939-1942, 1947
Sports: Track
Position: Sprinter, Jumper

Harry Norwood “Barney” Ewell was arguably the world’s best sprinter during his time at Penn State. By the end of his sophomore year, he held the world record in the 60-yard dash, along with NCAA titles for the 100- and 200-meter dashes. He earned 12 gold medals and championships in collegiate competitions from 1940-1942. He also earned 11 gold medals in AAU national meets from 1939-1948. He won two silver medals and a gold at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. That was after the Games had been canceled in 1940 and 1944, and after Ewell had served in the military, which interrupted his time at the university. He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1986.

(Photo via blackhistory.psu.edu)

Fran Fisher

Years: 1966-2015
Sport: Contributor

For generations of fans, Fran Fisher was the voice of Penn State. He joined the athletic program as a radio network as an analyst in 1966 and took over play-by-play duties in 1970. For the next dozen seasons, at a time before all games were available on TV or streaming services, Fisher called some of the program’s most memorable victories. He returned to radio from 1994 to 1999 and worked with analyst George Paterno. In between those stints, Fisher served as executive director of the Nittany Lion Club. It was during his tenure, and largely because of his efforts, that the now ubiquitous lions head shield, the profile mark that everyone associates with Penn State, was created. Fisher also produced and hosted numerous sports specials on WPSX-TV and on the Penn State Sports Network. Prominent among those were “TV Quarterbacks” and “Nittany Lion Hot Line.” Fisher was the face, and personality, of the athletic program at hundreds of Alumni Association chapter events, other banquets and special functions across the state. He was an unquestioned ambassador, in official and unofficial, roles for Penn State Athletics for nearly half a century.

(Photo via psucollegian.com)

Jack Ham

Years: 1968-1970
Sports: Football
Positions: Linebacker

Considered by many to be Penn State’s greatest football player ever, Jack Ham spent three seasons as the leader of the Nittany Lions’ defense where he helped guide the team to two back-to-back undefeated seasons. In 1970, Ham recorded 91 tackles and four interceptions, earning All-American status. Ham would then go on to be a part of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ legendary defense in the 1970s before retiring from football. He is one of two Penn Staters to be enshrined in both the College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fames. Ham has also spent the last 25 seasons as a part of Penn State’s radio broadcast — providing an essential voice to the booth along with Steve Jones. 

(Photo via footballfoundation.org)

Franco Harris

Years: 1967-1971
Sport: Football
Position: Running Back

Franco Harris played 31 games as a running back at Penn State, piling up 2,002 yards rushing and 2,354 total yards from scrimmage. He scored 25 touchdowns. He shared the backfield with Lydell Mitchell, who was more productive (2,934 rushing yards, 34 touchdowns) and ended up as a first-team All-America selection. However, Harris, a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was more successful in the NFL, winning four Super Bowl rings. His second act of Penn State impact largely came after his retirement as a champion for the football program and as a supporter of longtime coach Joe Paterno. He was a prominent participant in many events, including the Paterno Family Beaver Stadium Run. The primary Penn State Outreach center in western Pennsylvania bears his name — the Franco Harris Pittsburgh Center.

(Photo via GoPSUSports.com)

Megan Hodge Easy

Years: 2006-2009
Sports: Volleyball
Positions: Outside Hitter

As the key piece in Russ Rose’s first dynasty, Megan Hodge helped Penn State women’s volleyball win three straight national championships from 2007 to 2009 with the Nittany Lions winning one more following her graduation. In her freshman season, Hodge became the first Big Ten freshman to win conference Player of the Year and was named AVCA National Freshman of the Year. In her first two national championships, she was named Most Outstanding Player. In her senior season, she won the Honda-Broderick Cup, awarded to the top female collegiate athlete. Following her playing days at Penn State, Hodge went on to play professionally as well as win a silver medal in the 2012 London Games. Prior to the start of the 2023 Penn State women’s volleyball season, she joined the Nittany Lion coaching staff where she helped guide Penn State to a national championship in 2024.

(Photo via GoPSUSports.com)

Ali Krieger

Years: 2003-2006
Sport: Soccer
Position: Midfielder, Defender

Before she became one of the most decorated international women’s soccer players of all time, Ali Krieger guided Penn State women’s soccer to new heights in the early 2000s. In her freshman season, she was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year while helping Penn State reach its highest seed ever in the NCAA Tournament in 2003. Then in 2004, she guided Penn State to a No. 2 seed and earned All-Big Ten First Team Honors. In 2005, just two days before Penn State was to play as the No. 1 team in the NCAA Tournament, Krieger broke her leg in practice, which required surgery. In the following months, Krieger developed blood clots that caused six mini-heart attacks. Able to overcome the blood clots, she rejoined Penn State in 2006 where she was named captain and switched to defender — a role that would propel her to stardom at the international level. In 2023, Krieger retired professionally. She now serves on Penn State’s Board of Trustees.

(Photo via GoPSUSports.com)

Suzie McConnell-Serio

Years: 1984-1988
Sport: Basketball
Position: Guard

Suzie McConnell-Serio was at the point, literally, as the Penn State women’s program established the foundation for its success and moved into a role of prominence on campus. With McConnell as a record-setting point guard (a Division I record with 1,307 career assists), the Lady Lions made four NCAA Tournament appearances and went 95-33 with her on the floor. A first-team All-America selection, she was arguably the best Penn State basketball player, men’s or women’s, during her time on campus. She won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (for the best women’s basketball player no taller than 5-foot-6) in 1988. She was member of two Olympic-medal-winning women’s basketball teams (gold in 1988, bronze in 1991) and earned a gold medal at the World University Games. When McConnell played in the WNBA, she was named Newcomer of the Year and twice won the Kim Perrott Sportsmanship Award. She coached in the league as well and was named Coach of the Year in 2004.

(Photo via GoPSUSports.com)

Charlene Morett-Curtiss

Years: 1975-2023
Sport: Field Hockey
Position: Player, Coach

Both an impressive player and coach, Charlene Morett-Curtiss helped Penn State women’s sports grow. First as a player, Morett tallied 50 career goals, including scoring five goals in one game in 1977. She earned All-American honors twice. As a member of the 1980 Olympic team, which boycotted the games in Moscow, and then as a member of the 1984 team that won bronze, Morett-Curtiss was inducted into the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame individually and as a member of the 1984 team. After player, she joined the coaching ranks, first at Boston College, before joining Penn State in 1987. All told she won 575 games — which is top five all-time in NCAA history, eight Big Ten titles and was named Big Ten coach of the year seven times. After her retirement, Penn State renamed its renovated field hockey stadium after her.

(Photo via GoPSUSports.com)

Bo Nickal

Years: 2014-2019
Sport: Wrestling
Position: 174, 184, 197 lbs

Bo Nickal was an essential piece to Penn State wrestling’s run in the latter half of the 2010s. During his time at Penn State, Nickal reached the finals of his weight class every year, collecting three titles over his sophomore through senior seasons in two different weight classes. Nickal won 68 straight matches from 2016 to 2019 and finished his career 120-3 all-time. After his collegiate days, Nickal joined the UFC where he is working his way through the rungs to potentially compete for a world title.

(Photo via GoPSUSports.com)

Joe Paterno

Years: 1950-2011
Sport: Football
Position: Coach

Joe Paterno arrived at Penn State in 1950 as an assistant football coach intending to use the role as a brief break before attending law school. Instead, he found a home in Happy Valley and never left. After 16 years as an assistant, he succeeded Rip Engle in 1966 and led the football program for the next 45 years. Paterno’s success lifted the university and surrounding community to unexpected heights. Paterno sits atop the Division I victory list (409) and his teams won two national championships (1982, 1986) and three Big Ten Conference championships (1994, 2005, 2008) while completing five seasons unbeaten and untied in four different decades. His teams won each of what were considered the four major bowl games during his career (Rose, Cotton, Orange and Sugar) and Penn State’s participation, especially with the 1986 championship game against Miami, largely lifted the Fiesta Bowl to that top-tier status. Paterno championed and embraced “The Grand Experiment,” insisting student-athletes could succeed in the classroom and on the field at the top level of college football. In addition, he challenged the university to raise its level of quality while delivering the 1973 commencement address. He and his wife, Sue, provided significant philanthropic support to Penn State. As a result, the university’s library bears their name. He was named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1986 and inducted the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006. During what became Paterno’s last season, 2011, the team was 8-1 entering the final month of the campaign when the scandal related to former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky engulfed the program and all of Penn State. Paterno was fired, with many criticizing him for inaction related to the accusations surrounding Sandusky. Years later, Paterno’s role remains a divisive topic for some. In 2012, the NCAA initially wiped away Penn State victories from 1998 to 2011, but they were reinstated in 2015, leaving the legendary coach at 409. (Photo via GoPSUSports.com)

Russ Rose

Years: 1979–2021
Sport: Volleyball
Position: Coach

No one has more wins in Division I women’s volleyball history. No one has more national championships in Division I women’s volleyball history than Russ Rose. After spending time as an assistant at Nebraska in the 1970s, Rose took over Penn State in 1979 and changed so much for Penn State women’s volleyball. In 41 years, Penn State never missed an NCAA tournament. Rose first led Penn State to a national championship in 1999 before winning four in a row from 2007 to 2010. During that stretch, Penn State won 109 straight matches from 2007 to 2008. In the 2008 season, Penn State never lost a set until the national semifinal where it beat Nebraska 3-2 before beating Stanford in a sweep for the national championship. He would then guide Penn State to two more national titles in 2013 and 2014. He produced 112 AVCA All-Americans and 14 Big Ten Players of The Year. In addition to coaching, Rose taught a sports ethics class at Penn State.

(Photo via GoPSUSports.com)

David Taylor

Years: 2011-2014
Sport: Wrestling
Position: 157, 165 lbs

Another key piece to Penn State’s mids 2010s dynasty, David Taylor won two individual national championships at 165 pounds under Cael Sanderson. His effort earned him two Dan Hodge Trophies and won 134 matches in his time at Penn State, with two of his three losses coming in the national final in 2011 and 2013. After graduation, Taylor developed into one of the world’s best individual wrestlers, winning three world championships and a gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games in the 86 kg weight class. In trying for his second Olympics, Taylor lost to Penn State’s Aaron Brooks at the US Olympic Trials, effectively ending his shot at another gold medal, which ultimately resulted in him becoming Oklahoma State’s wrestling head coach. 

(Photo via GoPSUSports.com)

Gene Wettstone

Years: 1939-1976
Sport: Gymnastics
Position: Coach

Visionary coach Gene Wettstone started the men’s gymnastics program at Penn State and led the program to a record nine national championships and 13 Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League titles. Under his direction, Penn State amassed more than 200 dual meet victories and produced 35 individual national champions and 13 Olympians. He was known as an innovator in the gym and as a promoter of the sport. Meets inside Rec Hall were some of the most well-attended in the nation during his tenure, including 8,114 fans for a meet against Southern Connecticut State on Feb. 4, 1978. Penn State hosted three men’s national championship meets during his tenure. Wettstone was a two-time head coach of the U.S. Olympic team (1948, 1956) and manager of the 1976 squad. He was an Olympic judge in 1952 and 1968, and served on the U.S. Olympic Committee for 20 years. He was inducted into the United States Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1963.

(Photo via GoPSUSports.com)

Bios compiled by Darian Somers and Steve Sampsell.

Voting was open to the public and done in a nominee stage with top nominees being moved into the voting stage. The goal is to add a new class annually. 

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