Trio of Nittany Lion football greats will be inducted on Saturday, Oct. 24 ceremony

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; June 16, 2015 – A trio of legendary Nittany Lions, Joe Paterno, Chuck Fusina and Matt Bahr, will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame as part of the group’s 53rd annual ceremony. The induction celebration will take place on Saturday, October 24 at the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia.
 
In addition to Paterno, Fusina and Bahr, Philadelphia Flyer Bernie Parent, basketball coach PJ Carlesimo, swimmer Kristy Kowal, Super Bowl-winning linebacker Neal Olkewicz, Pitt football coach Foge Fazio, college and NFL football player Bill Koman, college and NFL football player Eric Crabtree, golfer Chip Lutz and wrestler Gray Simons will also be inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Former Governor Ed Rendell will be the recipient of the first ever Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Award for Pioneering Leadership in Pennsylvania Sports.
 
Paterno guided the Nittany Lions for 45 years and accumulated an NCAA Division I-record 409 victories, including five undefeated, untied seasons. He also led Penn State to National Championships in 1982 and 1986. The College Football Hall of Fame member also claimed 23 Top 10 finishes in the national rankings, as well as an NCAA-record 24 Bowl wins. A five-time AFCA Coach of the Year, Paterno had more than 350 former players sign NFL contracts, including 32 that were first round NFL Draft picks. His influence reached beyond the football field as Paterno produced 16 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes, 37 first-team Capital One/CoSIDA All-Americans® (47 overall) and 18 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners.
 
Fusina was a quarterback for the Nittany Lions from 1976-78. He was named an All-American as a senior by theAssociated Press, Football Writers, Football Coaches, NEA, United Press International and Walter Camp. Fusina led the Lions to an 11-0 regular-season, passing for 1,859 yards and 11 TDs (137-for-242), while winning the Maxwell Award as the Nation’s Outstanding Player. Fusina ranks sixth in Penn State history in career passing yards with 5,382 to go along with 37 touchdown passes, which is seventh in program history. He played in the National Football League with Tampa Bay (1979-82) and Green Bay (1986).
 
Bahr was a kicker for the Nittany Lions from 1976-78. He was an All-American choice by The Football News, NEA, The Sporting News, United Press International and Walter Camp in 1978. Bahr broke his brother’s (Chris) NCAA percentage record, hitting 22-of-27 field goals (81.5 percent) to hold the record for several years. Bahr’s mark stood as the Penn State record until Sam Ficken (24-29; 82.8) broke the effort in 2014. In his final two seasons in the Blue and White, Bahr went 70-for-72 on extra point attempts and 36-for-51 in field goal attempts. He spent 17 years in the National Football League, which ties for the most years in the NFL by a Penn State player (Kerry Collins).