“If there’s a better blocking tight end in the country, I haven’t seen him.”

-Joe Paterno

Penn State hasn’t produced too many tight ends, but the careers of a special few maintain a legacy. Last year, we saw Mickey Shuler block and Andrew Quarless catch passes, but it wasn’t too long ago that the Nittany Lions have one who did both pretty damn well.

Today’s member of the 44 for 44 is Kyle Brady.

Kyle Brady’s path to stardom began in Camp Hill, Pa, at Cedar Cliff High School.  Fitting in at offensive tackle, Brady worked his way up the recruiting boards, eventually becoming the mega-prospect every school dreams of having.  A Parade All-American, a USA Today All-American, the Gatorade Player of the Year from Pennsylvania, and the Bobby Dodd Award winner as high school’s best offensive lineman, Kyle Brady could’ve gone to any school in the country. He chose to stay home, and go to Penn State.

And Brady soon found that his high school success translated well to the college game.  Brady took an initial redshirt year to became familiarized with the tight end position, and in 1991, as a redshirt freshman, found himself thrust into the starting lineup. (His backup? A 5th year senior named Al Golden). Brady’s 6-6, 250-pound frame made him a go-to receiver for quarterback Tony Sacca, especially in the red zone.  Of Brady’s 14 catches that season, 4 went for touchdowns.  Though Terry Smith and O.J. McDuffie did most of the hard lifting, Brady seemed a sure thing to emerge over the next few years as a premier tight-end in the country.  But that 1991 team is an oft-overlooked unit–and they finished off an 11-2 season with a Fiesta Bowl win and a #3 ranking, the lone losses coming at USC and at the hands of #1 Miami.

But the 1992 offseason was not kind to Kyle Brady. Knee surgery kept the tight end out of spring practice, and then Brady caught a nasty case of the flu.  It wasn’t long before he plummeted down the depth chart, losing his starting spot to Troy Drayton.  After his stellar freshman campaign, Brady caught just 9 passes in his sophomore year.  And it wasn’t just Brady who struggled in 1992.  After the successes of the previous season, what followed could only be described as a major letdown.  Tony Sacca proved ineffective, the defense sputtered, and Penn State spiraled from a 4-0 start to a 7-5 disappointment.

But resiliency was the key, not just for the Nittany Lion team, but for Brady as well.  As Penn State bounced back to a 10-2 season, and a #8 end-of-season ranking, so too did Brady find his way back into the lineup.  When Ryan Grube tore up his knee, Brady became the starting tight end by default, and emerged as one of Kerry Collins’ favorite targets.  Brady, who nearly quit the team the previous season, finally broke out, hauling in 28 passes and mauling everything in his way.  It was that two-way domination that led Brady to the first-team all-Big Ten, and had rumors swirling about a possible defection to the NFL.

But Brady would hang around for his senior year, and become a key cog in the offense that just might be the best college football’s ever had.  There’s no need repeating the facts and figures, since you’ve heard them dozens of times before, but that 1994 team, which demolished everything in their path (save for Illinois), finished the season with a Rose Bowl win over Oregon and a #2 national ranking.  And Kyle Brady was the model of consistency, hauling in another 29 passes and proving his mettle as the best blocking tight end in the country.  When it was all said and done, Brady was a unanimous all-Conference selection, and an All-American, Penn State’s first at the position in close to 30 years.  He left 7th on the Penn State all-time receptions list, and second amongst tight ends.

In the NFL, Brady had an up-and-down career.  Though Jets fans clamored for Warren Sapp, they got Brady, and though the tight end excelled as an in-line blocker, in retrospect, the Jets would’ve liked to have that #9 pick back.  But Brady stuck around in the NFL, in no small part to his incredible work ethic.  He retired in 1998 after a 13-year, 343-catch NFL career.