When the Lions Roared: Joe Paterno and One of College Football's Greatest Teams

by Bill Contz, Todd Blackledge (Foreword by)

Overview

The 1982 Penn State national championship team was not only one of Joe Paterno’s best, it was one of the best teams college football has ever seen. In When the Lions Roared, Bill Contz, one of the squad's offensive linemen, details that special season and the experience of playing for a legendary coach. Featuring dozens of interviews with former players, this book provides anecdotes from the epic contests of that season while also proving statistically why this Nittany Lions team stands up against all of the talented teams that came before and after. Also featuring a foreword and reflections by Todd Blackledge, Penn State's 1982 starting quarterback, this is an essential read for Nittany Lions faithful.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629373720
Publisher:	Triumph Books
Publication date:	09/01/2017
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	1,095,619
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Bill Contz was a starting offensive lineman on Penn State's 1982 national championship team. He played six seasons in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints. He lives near Pittsburgh and works in medical device sales. Todd Blackledge was the starting quarterback on Penn State's 1982 national championship team. Blackledge won the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback after the 1982 season and was the seventh pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. Blackledge has worked as a television analyst for more than 20 years and currently is part of ESPN's College Football Primetime team. He lives near Canton, Ohio.

Table of Contents

Foreword Todd Blackledge 9

Introduction 11

Chapter 1 Halloween Night of 1981 21

Chapter 2 Football Royalty and a No. 1 Rival 27

Chapter 3 The Fiesta Bowl 45

Chapter 4 From Basketball Star to Quarterback 53

Chapter 5 The 1982 Preseason 57

Chapter 6 The Start of an Epic Season 67

Chapter 7 Agony and Ecstasy 73

Chapter 8 Getting Up off the Mat 91

Chapter 9 The "Playoff' Stretch 105

Chapter 10 The Sugar Bowl Timeline 117

Chapter 11 The Secrets to Our Success 151

Chapter 12 Rebuttals 165

Chapter 13 One of the Greatest 175

Chapter 14 Reflections on Paterno 199

Chapter 15 Where Are They Now? 215

Acknowledgments 225

Sources 233