Tony Pittman is not only known as a member of the 1994 Penn State Football team that finished the season undefeated after winning the Rose Bowl, but also one of the best in the classroom.
Pittman is just another one of many from the Penn State football program’s history to excel as both a student and an athlete. This is why the Schreyer Honors College is taking time to celebrate scholar athletes and their accomplishments.
During this year’s home football games, the Schreyer Honors College is featuring questions about exceptional student-athletes and their outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments in a video board quiz called “The Schreyer Honors College Football IQ."
Between winning and academic achievements, it must be a family thing for the Pittmans. Tony Pittman's father, Charlie Pittman, played for Penn State in the late 1960s and both also played for Joe Paterno. Combined, the two were undefeated when they started for the team. The pair went 45-0-1, which provided the fact needed for a video board question.
Which father and son duo has the best combined win/loss record while playing football for Penn State?
Of course, the answer was Charlie and Tony Pittman, but aside from their winning records on the football field, they both had success off the field in the classroom.
“Coming out of high school, I knew two things: I wanted to study engineering and I wanted to have a chance to play great football,” Tony Pittman said. Tony said he’s often asked why he chose Penn State over other schools such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
“After narrowing my choices to Penn State and Yale, the picture became pretty clear. Penn State was the institution that could offer me a chance to get the best of both worlds,” he said. While the chance for both was in front of him, Tony said it was one thing to earn the opportunities but taking full advantage was another.
“I had to truly dedicate myself to being a student-athlete,” he said. “Each and every day I had to remember my priorities and remind myself to stay focused.”
In his senior year, Tony had earned himself Second Team All-Big Ten Honors for his play on the field play. Now, Tony and his father got to share another achievement as both were named Academic All-Americans during college.
Tony picked up an additional award as he was named the College Football Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete in 1994.
Tony said with the support of his professors and coaches, along with his organization and discipline, he was able to find success on and off the football field.
“I was fortunate enough to finish my college football career with a Rose Bowl win and then follow that up with a degree from one of the world’s top industrial engineering programs,” he said. “You can’t beat that.”
Another question posted on the video board: Who is the first Penn State football student-athlete to be named an ESPN Academic All-American three times?
Stefen Wisniewski is the football player referenced in the question above, which appeared on the video board during the University of Massachusetts contest. Tony and Charlie were featured during the home opener against Akron. Those in attendance at the home games should keep an eye out for upcoming questions and test their knowledge of Penn State football history.