Hall of Fame
BRANDON FUSCO
- Sport: Football
- Graduation Year: 2010
- Highlights: Consensus All-American in 2010, Gene Upshaw Lineman of the Year award winner in 2010, first SRU player to ever be invited to the Under Armour Senior Bowl, selected in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, played eight seasons in the NFL and started more than 85 NFL games.
Perhaps the most recognizable name in this year's class is 2010 graduate Brandon Fusco, who enjoyed a highly successful NFL playing career that lasted nearly a decade and included more NFL starts than any Slippery Rock player in history.
Fusco added more than 50 pounds to his frame during his undergraduate career at Slippery Rock and found himself on the radar of NFL scouts following a standout junior season in 2009 when he earned second team All-America honors after picking up a second straight first team All-PSAC recognition.
He followed that year up with one of the most dominant senior seasons by an offensive lineman in PSAC history, which made him a consensus first team All-American in 2010. He also picked up the 2010 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year award and earned an invite to the Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, which is the premier senior showcase game in the country.
The 2010 SRU captain was a three-time first team All-PSAC selection as an offensive center and capped his Slippery Rock career when he was selected in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. The 172nd overall pick made Fusco the highest draft pick in Rock history and the first SRU draftee since 1989.
Fusco made the Vikings' 53-man roster in his rookie season and played three games in 2011 before earning a starting job entering the 2012 season. He started every game he appeared in from 2012-16 with the Vikings, racking up 64 starts in Minnesota and helping to block for some of the best offensive performances in NFL history. He started every game of the 2012 season at right guard and helped Adrian Peterson top the elusive 2,000-yard mark when he ran for 2,097 yards. Following that season, Fusco was rated as the No. 6 run-blocking guard in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
After six seasons in Minnesota, Fusco signed with the San Francisco 49ers prior to the 2017 season and went on to start all 16 games at guard in 2017. He then signed a multi-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons and started the first seven games of the 2018 season before suffering a season-ending injury that has sidelined him since.
In total, Fusco appeared in 90 NFL games and made 87 starts between 2011-18.
