Poll: On the field - who was the toughest, meanest s.o.b. to ever suit up for PSU?

[PSU Soupy]

The guy you are describing was Outside LB Chris Collins, knew Chris, Shane and Trey pretty well.

 

[The Spin Meister]

How about Larry Johnson. He demolished one of his team mates in high school practice once. He always had an attitude like an angry guy.

 

[psu1969a]

I have seen all on the above play. First, Arrington couldn't carry Reid's jock strap. Others with more votes than Reid were good players but meanest on the field is something else. Reid was the enforcer in 68 and 69. He then led the fledgling Bengals defense for five years before retiring. HE belongs in EVERY known Hall of Fame.

 

[FLMike]

My buddy Steve Prue played with John Ebersale in the late sixtys and Steve said he was a man among boys, just an animal. There's one story out there about Ebersale actually beating up a Voltzwagon!

 

[Ranger Dan]

I believe that Ray Isom should only ever be referred to as Ray "pound for pound" Isom. He is abolutely the toughest "pound for pound" football player to ever play at Penn State. Maybe this doesn't equate to nastiest or meanest, or more fearful, but at his size, it was amazing what he did as a safety.

 

[davebarcus]

I believe that Ray Isom should only ever be referred to as Ray "pound for pound" Isom. He is abolutely the toughest "pound for pound" football player to ever play at Penn State. Maybe this doesn't equate to nastiest or meanest, or more fearful, but at his size, it was amazing what he did as a safety.

Yep.

 

[LongJakk]

Love reading the stories about Steve Sefter. I grew up in New Cumberland and was a couple of grades behind Steve. He was a fantastic wrestler. i think he was runner up 156, runner up 167, champ 185 and champ Unlimited in HS. Lightning quick fireman's carry takedown. I still remember watching him wrestle Tab Thacker from NC State who weighed almost 400 pounds. Steve was probably around 205 during wrestling season and 215-220 as a DE for football. My memory has faded, but i think Steve beat Tab.

 

[novaclassof90]

None of the above. My vote goes to Shane Conlan.

Grew up with the Paffenroth's in Stroudsburg. You could write an entire book on Dave Paffenroth's excapades in high school at Stroudsburg and in college. Our family house had a hole in the basement wall from Dave's fist. Also a legendary story of Dave getting into a fight in the stands at a HS hoops game vs. the crosstown Catholic. No big deal but Dave took on about a dozen guys while on crutches with a broken foot. You could make a hitting highlight real just off his freshmen year at PSU on special teams kick coverage.

But Shane Conlin was a tough dude. Love the B10 piece on the nat'l champ team where Curt Warner tells the story of going to Tom Bradley and telling him to get his freshman redshirt LB under control in practice. It was Conlin.

 

[mn78psu83]

Grew up with the Paffenroth's in Stroudsburg. You could write an entire book on Dave Paffenroth's excapades in high school at Stroudsburg and in college. Our family house had a hole in the basement wall from Dave's fist. Also a legendary story of Dave getting into a fight in the stands at a HS hoops game vs. the crosstown Catholic. No big deal but Dave took on about a dozen guys while on crutches with a broken foot. You could make a hitting highlight real just off his freshmen year at PSU on special teams kick coverage.

But Shane Conlin was a tough dude. Love the B10 piece on the nat'l champ team where Curt Warner tells the story of going to Tom Bradley and telling him to get his freshman redshirt LB under control in practice. It was Conlin.

I had a couple of friendly encounters with the "Mad Paff" - I think that's what some called him - at PSU parties. He liked our group and got a kick out of one of our friends who somehow got away with egging him on. That was very fortunate. Others were not so lucky from what I remember.

 

[Pennsy_Kraken]

Grew up with the Paffenroth's in Stroudsburg. You could write an entire book on Dave Paffenroth's excapades in high school at Stroudsburg and in college. Our family house had a hole in the basement wall from Dave's fist. Also a legendary story of Dave getting into a fight in the stands at a HS hoops game vs. the crosstown Catholic. No big deal but Dave took on about a dozen guys while on crutches with a broken foot. You could make a hitting highlight real just off his freshmen year at PSU on special teams kick coverage.

But Shane Conlin was a tough dude. Love the B10 piece on the nat'l champ team where Curt Warner tells the story of going to Tom Bradley and telling him to get his freshman redshirt LB under control in practice. It was Conlin.

Here is a great article written in 1980 the Spring after the end of the 1979 Season - a very turbulent season that included the suspension of Paffenroth....HERE IS THE LINK.

Interestingly, virtually every coach - some that might surprise you - said that it is inevitable that some bad things will happen at PSU just like anywhere else, but that they had great respect for Joe and that he absolutely was not a hypocrite and believed in his true ideals for the program (and was by-and-large successful in delivering them more often than not).

 

[palehorse]

Where's Greg Buttle? He needs to be on this list. I remember we were playing Syracuse in Beaver Stadium and Syracuse had a pretty good team and QB named Bill Hurley. During the game, Buttle blitzed, got to Hurley and he didn't tackle him in the conventional way. He just picked him up and dropped him down. Buttle didn't even get dirty. It was a marvel.

You should see Hurley now. It's rather sad. I had a business dinner at some shitty sports bar(I think it was a BWW or something similar) near the Pittsburgh airport a couple years back. I was supposed to meet my rep and his supervisor to discuss a change in pricing tier, volume expectations, etc., but apparently my rep thought he'd win points by inviting Hurley along as well. Let's just say that by the time I was able to duck out of there I felt as embarrassed for my rep as I was annoyed by his former greatness. Guy was a total drunken douche. The plus came in the form of discovering my rep was a next level Yinzer with extreme PSU hatred. I wouldn't be surprised if he was actually one of the turds on the Panther Piss Lair.

 

[Pocono Lion]

Grew up with the Paffenroth's in Stroudsburg. You could write an entire book on Dave Paffenroth's excapades in high school at Stroudsburg and in college. Our family house had a hole in the basement wall from Dave's fist. Also a legendary story of Dave getting into a fight in the stands at a HS hoops game vs. the crosstown Catholic. No big deal but Dave took on about a dozen guys while on crutches with a broken foot. You could make a hitting highlight real just off his freshmen year at PSU on special teams kick coverage.

But Shane Conlin was a tough dude. Love the B10 piece on the nat'l champ team where Curt Warner tells the story of going to Tom Bradley and telling him to get his freshman redshirt LB under control in practice. It was Conlin.

Grew up with the Paffenroth's in Stroudsburg. You could write an entire book on Dave Paffenroth's excapades in high school at Stroudsburg and in college. Our family house had a hole in the basement wall from Dave's fist. Also a legendary story of Dave getting into a fight in the stands at a HS hoops game vs. the crosstown Catholic. No big deal but Dave took on about a dozen guys while on crutches with a broken foot. You could make a hitting highlight real just off his freshmen year at PSU on special teams kick coverage.

But Shane Conlin was a tough dude. Love the B10 piece on the nat'l champ team where Curt Warner tells the story of going to Tom Bradley and telling him to get his freshman redshirt LB under control in practice. It was Conlin.

Actually it was Dave's older brother, Andy who was swinging the crutch around and the game was against Notre Dame Green Pond, not NDES, back when we were both in the Centennial League. Arguably, Andy was as good, if not better, an athlete as Dave.

 

[palehorse]

My buddy Steve Prue played with John Ebersale in the late sixtys and Steve said he was a man among boys, just an animal. There's one story out there about Ebersale actually beating up a Voltzwagon!

Yeah, Joe had to come pick him up in the middle of the night.

 

[Cowbell Man]

You don't even have him listed....Steve Wisniewski not only has the reputation of being the meanest, nastiest player to ever play for PSU, but potentially one of the meanest, nastiest players to ever play in the NFL.

And Ron Heller before him.

And Steve Smear isn't their either.

Those are the top three.....and it's not really close.

 

[j4golf]

Steve Smear. Just the name gets my vote if he was listed

 

[MtNittany]

As posted upthread, I'll re-do this poll in a week or so w/ notable admissions included.

 

[novaclassof90]

Actually it was Dave's older brother, Andy who was swinging the crutch around and the game was against Notre Dame Green Pond, not NDES, back when we were both in the Centennial League. Arguably, Andy was as good, if not better, an athlete as Dave.

PoconoLion: Dave's brother Andy was a really good athlete, if I recall he got a scholly to play FB at Maryland. College wasn't really his thing and eventually he ended up in the military. I went to school with their little sister. Stroudsburg had some very good FB players in the 70s. Artie Owens went to WVU, Ronnie Reddicks played at NC State, Frank Bell went out to Michigan, Jeff Wert went to Temple. Dave Paffenroth was also a heckuva shot putter too. If he liked you, you were good. But if not, you were in big trouble. Buddies from Sburg who were at PSU when he was there still talk about him taking on an entire fraternity when they didn't want him to come into their party. Last I heard he was coaching at a small school in the midwest somewhere.

 

[flavorguy]

Great Ron Heller story.

My brother was a freshman at Hamilton Hall. He's having a Party in his dorm room. Heller knocks on the door. My brother says " 4 bucks". Heller raises his fist and replies "four teeth". My brother let him in.

 

[Pocono Lion]

PoconoLion: Dave's brother Andy was a really good athlete, if I recall he got a scholly to play FB at Maryland. College wasn't really his thing and eventually he ended up in the military. I went to school with their little sister. Stroudsburg had some very good FB players in the 70s. Artie Owens went to WVU, Ronnie Reddicks played at NC State, Frank Bell went out to Michigan, Jeff Wert went to Temple. Dave Paffenroth was also a heckuva shot putter too. If he liked you, you were good. But if not, you were in big trouble. Buddies from Sburg who were at PSU when he was there still talk about him taking on an entire fraternity when they didn't want him to come into their party. Last I heard he was coaching at a small school in the midwest somewhere.

Yep. I was in Griff's shop class with Dave at Sburg and also in a math class with him at PSU, and yes, the name "Mad Paff" described him pretty well. The rumor at the time in HS was that they lost the Turkey Day game in Dave's senior year because half of the team was hung over from a blowout the night before.

 

[Nit16]

Good call. My write-in vote goes to Steve Wisniewski.

His dad, Leo was as tough as they get. Could have been an Olympic wrestler if he wrestled in college instead of playing football.

 

[Bob78]

His dad, Leo was as tough as they get. Could have been an Olympic wrestler if he wrestled in college instead of playing football.

Unless there is a Leo, Sr., the Steve being referred to here is Leo's brother. Stefan is Leo's son.
Leo had a solid NFL career with the Colts in the 80s.

 

[Nit16]

Unless there is a Leo, Sr., the Steve being referred to here is Leo's brother. Stefan is Leo's son.
Leo had a solid NFL career with the Colts in the 80s.

Yes thanks for the clarification! Leo had an incredible career and game against USC for sure.

 

[TheGLOV]

...not looking for merit badges.

This was discussed last year and Walker Lee Ashley won it hands down!

No need to repeat a post that had a declared winner.

 

[Pocono Lion]

This was discussed last year and Walker Lee Ashely won it hands down!

No need to repeat a post that had a declared winner.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, nobody hits like Walker Lee!

 

[TheGLOV]

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, nobody hits like Walker Lee!

Indeed!

And it wasn't even close.

Walker Lee Ashley.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_Lee_Ashley