Quarterback U is a nickname used by
sportswriters to refer to colleges that have trained a series of notable football
quarterback
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
s (QBs). It is a literary device invoked in the individual discretion of sportswriters and does not represent any formal decision-making process or organized sportswriters' poll. Generally speaking, the term implies that many of the school's former quarterbacks later had successful careers in professional football, particularly in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL).
As of 2023,
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
and
Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...
are tied for first in producing the most number of Super Bowl winning quarterbacks. As of September 2017, the top five universities in terms of the most NFL quarterback passing yards were 219,064 for
Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...
, 183,296 for
Notre Dame, 157,855 for
USC USC may refer to:
Education
United States
* Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico
* University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina
* ...
, 152,627 for
Stanford
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...
and 142,524 for
Washington.
On November 18, 2012, ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' reported that, "Purdue may be the ultimate Quarterback U. Since the 1970 merger (between the AFL and NFL), quarterbacks from Purdue have started 724 NFL games, easily the most of any major-conference program." After Purdue QBs' 724 NFL games, the next best schools were the University of Washington (623 starts), Miami (573), University of Southern California (547) and Notre Dame (543).
In August 2018, an ''
Altoona Mirror
The ''Altoona Mirror'' is a daily newspaper located in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It is the hometown newspaper for Altoona, all of Blair County, Pennsylvania, Blair County, and parts of surrounding counties.
History
The newspaper was founded on Jun ...
'' writer sought to name "Quarterback U" by player achievements, such as NFL starts, Pro Bowl appearances, and Heisman Trophies won. He noted that, in the Super Bowl era,
Washington (14),
USC USC may refer to:
Education
United States
* Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico
* University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina
* ...
(13),
Notre Dame (13),
Miami (FL) (10),
Stanford
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...
(10), and
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
(10) produced at least ten starting NFL quarterbacks, while
Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...
recorded the most combined NFL career starts (704). The article concluded that no single program deserved the title significantly more than others.
Examples
Brigham Young University
Sports writers dubbed the
BYU as a Quarterback U from the 1980s through the 1990s under coach
LaVell Edwards, akin to
USC USC may refer to:
Education
United States
* Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico
* University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina
* ...
's reputation as
Tailback U.
It produced
Gifford Nielsen,
Marc Wilson,
Jim McMahon
James Robert McMahon Jr. (born August 21, 1959) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. McMahon played col ...
,
Steve Young
Jon Steven Young (born October 11, 1961) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Tampa Bay Bu ...
,
Robbie Bosco,
Ty Detmer, and
Steve Sarkisian. In 2005, the ''
Deseret News
The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...
'' wrote that the last great BYU signal caller was 2001
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...
runner-up
Brandon Doman, who also later served as the Cougars'
offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator (OC) is a Coach (sport), coach responsible for a gridiron football team's offense (American football), offense. Generally, the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second ...
. It also asserted that, upon Doman's graduation, head coach
Gary Crowton rotated quarterbacks so frequently that it adversely affected their performance.
North Carolina State University
An October 2019 ''Sports Illustrated'' article described
NC State as "Quarterback U" after five former quarterbacks (
Philip Rivers
Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football for the ...
,
Russell Wilson
Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...
,
Mike Glennon
Michael Joseph Glennon (born December 12, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack football, NC State Wolfpack ...
,
Jacoby Brissett, and
Ryan Finley) from the school advanced to play in the NFL between the years of 2003 and 2019. The article noted that four of the five (Rivers, Wilson, Brissett, and Finley) are NFL starting quarterbacks. NC State had been in the conversation as early as 2016 when a CBS Sports article ranked the school at number two behind the University of Southern California on a list that also included Purdue, Boston College, and Michigan. At that point, only Rivers and Wilson held starting positions in the NFL, but the article noted that Glennon had also been a starter for Tampa Bay.
Purdue University
According to ESPN.com, Purdue QBs have won (and started) more NFL games than any other school; thrown for the most touchdowns and yards in the NFL. Purdue QBs have won more League TD titles (14 through the 2022 NFL season) than any other school.
Since the 1960s,
Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...
has been known as 'Quarterback U' and 'Cradle of Quarterbacks' by media and rivals such as
Ohio State
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...
and
Notre Dame due to its prominent QBs. Between 1967 and 1974, Purdue QBs
Len Dawson
Leonard Ray Dawson (June 20, 1935 – August 24, 2022) was an American professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the K ...
and
Bob Griese
Robert Allen Griese ( ; born February 3, 1945) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He earned All-American hono ...
started five
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
s, winning three;
Cecil Isbell
Cecil Frank Isbell (July 11, 1915 – June 23, 1985) was an American football quarterback and coach. He played 5 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers, leading them to the NFL Championship in 1939 NFL Champion ...
led the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
to an NFL title in 1939,
Elmer Oliphant led the
Buffalo All-Americans to a disputed NFL title in 1921. The tradition has continued through to this day with
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is sec ...
winning the
Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) c ...
, in which he was also named
MVP
MVP most commonly refers to:
* Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition
* Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering
MVP may also refer to:
...
. Purdue is tied for first with Alabama in producing Super Bowl winning quarterbacks. Sixteen (16) Purdue QBs reached the NFL; including starting QBs in
Bob DeMoss,
Dale Samuels,
Mike Phipps,
Gary Danielson,
Jim Everett
James Samuel Everett III (born January 3, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for ...
,
Mark Herrmann
Mark Donald Herrmann (born January 8, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. Herrmann played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers, and w ...
,
Aidan O'Connell and
Kyle Orton;
Scott Campbell and
Curtis Painter were well-known backup quarterbacks.
David Blough finished his playing career on the practice squad of the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
in 2023. As of February 2024 he’s been an assistant QBs coach for the Washington Commanders.
Danny Etling
Daniel Patrick Etling (born July 22, 1994) is an American professional football quarterback for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and LSU Tigers, and was selected ...
is on the roster of the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
. Other Purdue quarterbacks who reached the NFL are
Ron Meyer, former head coach of the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
and
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
;
Ross Fichtner, who won an NFL title at cornerback with the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
, even serving as the emergency backup quarterback for the
Browns in their
1964 NFL Championship Game appearance;
John Reeves spent time in the NFL as a linebacker.
Joey Elliott and
Robert Marve
Robert Eugene Marve (born February 10, 1989) is a former American football quarterback who played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). As a high school player, Marve was named Florida's Mr. Football and member of ...
were starting QBs in the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
.
Additionally,
Bernie Allen, long-time 2B for the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
and the
Washington Senators preceded Meyer under center for the Boilermakers.
Stanford University
As early as 1975, the term Quarterback U had been applied to
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, which had produced such players as
Frankie Albert,
John Brodie
John Riley Brodie (born August 14, 1935) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. He had a second career as a ...
,
Jim Plunkett,
Don Bunce, and
Mike Boryla. This reputation was enhanced when
Bill Walsh joined the Cardinal as head coach, and quarterbacks
Guy Benjamin,
Steve Dils, and
Turk Schonert promptly led the NCAA in passing in 1977, 1978, and 1979. They were followed by perhaps Stanford's best-known quarterback,
John Elway
John Albert Elway Jr. (born June 28, 1960) is an American former professional football quarterback who spent his entire 16-year career with the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Following his playing career, he then spent 1 ...
, who played at the university from 1979 to 1982, finishing second in the Heisman voting his senior season.
Elway would go on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Broncos and win the Super Bowl in 1997 and 1998.
By 1989, the ''
San Jose Mercury News
''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidia ...
'' surmised that Stanford's "once bright legacy" as Quarterback U appeared "to be flickering out". However, recently Stanford's quarterback tradition has experienced something of a revival under
Andrew Luck.
Luck
Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at a ...
finished second in the voting for the Heisman trophy, the award given to college football's most outstanding player, in both 2010 and 2011.
When drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the
2012 NFL draft
The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
, he became the fourth Stanford quarterback taken with the first overall pick, following Elway, Plunkett and
Bobby Garrett, but the first since Elway was taken by the Colts in 1983. Stanford quarterbacks have started 7 Super Bowls, winning 4, and garnering two
Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award
The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's (NFL) championship game. The winner is chosen by a panel of 16 football writers and broadcaster ...
s.
Texas Tech University
In 2005, a ''
Sporting News
''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...
'' writer described
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...
as Quarterback U in an article that bestowed several positional "U" monikers with the criteria being college performance since 2000. Its author cited head coach
Mike Leach's numerous 4,000-yard-plus passers. More recently, Texas Tech can claim
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
Established in 1959 ...
quarterback Patrick Mahomes among its ranks.
University of Maryland
During the 1980s, the term was also applied to
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, which produced several NFL-caliber quarterbacks during the tenures of head coach
Bobby Ross
Robert Joseph Ross (born December 23, 1936) is an American former football coach. He served as the head football coach at The Citadel (1973–1977), the University of Maryland, College Park (1982–1986), Georgia Tech (1987–1991), and the ...
and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks/receivers coach
Joe Krivak. These
Maryland quarterbacks included
Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason (; born April 17, 1961) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football for ...
,
Frank Reich
Frank Michael Reich (; ; born December 4, 1961) is an American football coach and former player who is the interim head coach at Stanford University. He played 14 seasons as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He became a coac ...
,
Neil O'Donnell,
Scott Zolak
Scott David Zolak (born December 13, 1967) is an American broadcaster and former professional American football, football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with the New England Patrio ...
, and
Stan Gelbaugh. In 2005, ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' reapplied the label to the Terrapins under head coach
Ralph Friedgen
Ralph Harry Friedgen (born April 4, 1947) is a former American football coach. He was most recently the special assistant coach for Rutgers in 2015 after serving as their offensive coordinator in the 2014 season. He was the head coach at the Un ...
and offensive coordinator
Charlie Taaffe, after
Sam Hollenbach became the
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...
's leading passer. That coaching staff also groomed
Shaun Hill and
Scott McBrien.
University of Miami
In the 1980s, the term was often applied to the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...
. In 2003, Tracy Gale, a sport publicist working for the University of Miami, named
Fran Curci, who was Miami's quarterback in 1959, as the start of what he called "Miami's Quarterback U tradition."
George Mira,
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers o ...
,
Bernie Kosar,
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (; born November 13, 1963) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning con ...
,
Steve Walsh,
Ken Dorsey
Kenneth Simon Dorsey (born April 22, 1981) is an American professional American football, football Coach (sport), coach and former quarterback who is the passing game specialist for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Dorse ...
,
Craig Erickson, and
Gino Torretta are some Hurricanes quarterbacks that influenced his use of the term. The term is still often applied, although Miami currently has fewer quarterbacks starting in the NFL than it has in the past. In 2008, all three Miami quarterbacks entered the season with no game experience, and pundits charged head coach
Randy Shannon
Randy Leonard Shannon (born February 24, 1966) is an American football coach and former player. He is the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for Florida State University, positions he has held since 2022. Shannon was the head coach a ...
with rebuilding the program's reputation of producing high-quality signalcallers.
University of Michigan
In recent years, sportswriters have mentioned several schools as being appropriate for the designation. A 2005
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
article cited that, since 1988,
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
sent as many starting quarterbacks to the NFL as the University of Miami. It argued that "three yards and a cloud of dust" is no longer the offensive philosophy at Michigan.
[Michigan joins the "Quarterback U" conversation](_blank)
ESPN, August 23, 2005. A year later,
Rivals.com proclaimed that Michigan was "the new Quarterback U."
Elvis Grbac,
Todd Collins,
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...
,
Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph Harbaugh ( ; born December 23, 1963) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach at ...
,
Brian Griese and
Chad Henne
Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines foo ...
are some of the Wolverine quarterbacks who have gone on to start in the NFL.
University of Southern California
USC is traditionally known as
Tailback U, but after the 2008 season ''
The Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...
'' claimed that it was the school most deserving of the designation Quarterback U. Since 2009, eight former USC quarterbacks started in an NFL game:
Matt Leinart,
Matt Cassel,
Carson Palmer,
Mark Sanchez
Mark Travis John Sanchez (born November 11, 1986) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans ...
,
Matt Barkley,
Cody Kessler,
Sam Darnold
Sam Richard Darnold (born June 5, 1997) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans football, USC Trojans, winn ...
,
Caleb Williams.
University of Washington
Washington quarterbacks have consistently advanced to the NFL, with
16 of the previous 18 starting quarterbacks as of 2012 having started in the NFL. Washington's
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
member
Warren Moon
Harold Warren Moon (born November 18, 1956) is an American former professional Gridiron football, football player who was a quarterback for 23 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He spent most of h ...
is
fourth in all-time passing yardage, reflecting his CFL and NFL careers. Other notable alumni include
Chris Chandler,
Mark Brunell
Mark Allen Brunell (born September 17, 1970) is an American professional American football, football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in ...
,
Damon Huard,
Jake Locker. ESPN points to the program's history by the early 1980s.
See also
*
Linebacker U, a nickname for the Penn State football program
References
{{reflist, 2
College football in the United States