PSAC 150 Contributors Announcement

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University football program had a league-high 12 individuals recognized Monday as part of "The PSAC's 150 Contributors," a select group of key figures in the history of collegiate football from each of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's current members. 

Each team currently competing in the PSAC was guaranteed six spots on the list of 150 contributors. The rest of the list was selected by a panel of seven former sports information directors from league institutions. The Rock finished with a league-high 12 selections, while Clarion and West Chester were each represented by 11 individuals to tie for the second most in the PSAC.

"It's exciting to see so many important names from the history of Slippery Rock football on this list," said head coach Shawn Lutz. "We've got a long and storied tradition of success in our program and there are so many people that have contributed to that, both on and off the field. There are certainly a lot more names we could add to this list, but we're obviously thrilled to have these 12 men be recognized by the league."

The six guaranteed selections submitted by SRU personnel were George Mihalik, Marcus Martin, Brandon Fusco, Randy McKavish, Greg Hopkins and Jerry Bejbl. The PSAC committee also selected Brian Polk, Shamar Greene, DJ Flick, Terry Factor, Bob DiSpirito and N. Kerr Thompson. 

A brief look at the accomplishments of each of The Rock's 12 selections can be found below, listed alphabetically. 

JERRY BEJBL (Player 1960-62, Contributor and SRU Hall of Famer)
Bejbl played for The Rock from 1960-62, helping SRU to two PSAC West titles on the way to being named an All-American in 1962. He was named the MVP of the 1962 state championship game and finished his career with 21 touchdowns from the fullback position. One of just three retired jerseys in program history, Bejbl has donated more than $1 million to SRU. His contributions have funded a significant number of scholarships over the last three decades. He also funded the building of the Jerry Bejbl Weight Room at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium and purchased the equipment housed in that weight room, which is used by numerous SRU athletic programs. 

BOB DiSPIRITO (Coach 1967-80, 1987 and SRU Hall of Famer)
"Coach D" compiled an overall record of 79-60-3 (.567) in 15 seasons as The Rock's head coach. He led the team to three straight overall PSAC titles from 1972-74 and guided the program to four PSAC West titles and two postseason appearances. DiSpirito led the rebuilding of The Rock in the 1970s. The playing surface at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium is named in his honor. 

TERRY FACTOR (Player 1971-73 and SRU Hall of Famer)
Factor played three seasons on the varsity team at SRU from 1971-73 and was named first team All-PSAC in all three of those years. He added an All-America honor in 1973 and finished his career with 331 total tackles in just three seasons (freshmen played on a separate team in the 1970s), which ranks sixth all-time at The Rock. 

DJ FLICK (Player 1998-01)
Flick was a two-time All-American and a two-time All-PSAC selection both as a wide receiver and as a kick returner. He was named the 1998 PSAC Freshman of the Year. Flick finished his four-year career (1998-01) at SRU as the program's record holder in numerous categories. He currently still holds program records for average yards per catch (19.85), punt return yards (1,183), punt return attempts (100), kick return TDs (4) and punt return TDs (6). His 4,773 all-purpose yards are the second most in program history. After leaving SRU, Flick played six seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 2002-08. 

BRANDON FUSCO (Player 2007-10)
Fusco was drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He made the Vikings roster in his first season and took over a starting role in his second season. Since 2012, Fusco has started more than 70 NFL games for the Vikings, San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons. He won the 2010 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year award and was a consensus first team All-American his senior season at The Rock. Fusco also earned an NFL Combine invite and played in the Reese's Senior Bowl. He was a three-time first team All-PSAC selection as an offensive center. Fusco's jersey was retired by SRU in 2016. 

SHAMAR GREENE (Player 2012-16)
Greene walked on at SRU and earned his scholarship in a big way, leaving as the program's all-time rushing record holder with 4,275 yards, despite missing more than half of his senior season with an injury. He was a two-time All-American, a three-time All-PSAC selection and was a Harlon Hill Trophy Finalist his junior year. Greene averaged 106.9 rushing yards per game (40 games) and 5.8 yards per carry (737 carries) over his career. He ranks 11th all-time in PSAC history in rushing.

GREG HOPKINS (Player 1990-94 and SRU Hall of Famer)
Hopkins was inducted into the Arena Football League Hall of Fame after playing 10 seasons as a wide receiver in the AFL from 1996-06. That storied professional career followed a four-year stretch at SRU where Hopkins was a three-time All-American and a three-time All-PSAC selection. He still holds the SRU career record for receiving yards with 3,382, which ranks 11th most in PSAC history. He also holds the SRU record for career receptions (215) and had the fourth most catches in a single-game in PSAC history with 17. 

MARCUS MARTIN (Player 2013-17)
Martin is one of the most highly awarded players in PSAC history and is the most decorated SRU defensive player ever. He shattered the NCAA Division II records for career sacks (56.0) and tackles for loss (92.5), marks he still owns by wide margins today. His 56.0 sacks also established an NCAA all-division record and are officially on the books as the most sacks by an individual player in the history of college football. Martin was the PSAC and Super Region One Rookie of the Year in 2014 and followed that up by earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in the league and region in each of the next three years. He is the only player in PSAC history to accomplish that. His senior year in 2017 saw Martin earn National Defensive Player of the Year honors and complete his career as a four-time All-American. He was also the PSAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the only Division II finalist for the prestigious William Campbell Trophy, known as the Academic Heisman, an honor no other PSAC player in history has earned.

RANDY McKAVISH (Player 1997-00 and SRU Hall of Famer)
McKavish is one of the only players in PSAC history to quarterback a team to four PSAC titles. He was a two-time All-American and a three-time PSAC Offensive Player of the Year. He was also named PSAC Rookie of the Year in 1997 to join Marcus Martin as the only players to be named to four Player of the Year honors. McKavish is still the SRU career record holder in passing yards (7,634) and also rushed for 2,069 yards to account for 9,703 yards of total offense. He led SRU to its highest national ranking ever at No. 2.

GEORGE MIHALIK (Player 1972-74, Coach 1988-2015, SRU Hall of Famer)
Mihalik served as the head coach at SRU for 28 seasons from 1988-2015, retiring as the all-time leader in program history with a 197-111-4 overall record (.638 winning percentage). His 197 wins are the fourth-most in PSAC history. Mihalik led The Rock to eight PSAC West titles and six NCAA playoff appearances as a coach. He also won three straight PSAC titles as The Rock's starting quarterback from 1972-74 before embarking on a coaching career at SRU. In addition to his contribution as a player and coach, Mihalik was also a full-time professor during his entire tenure as The Rock's head coach, helping to launch the safety management program, which has grown into one of the university's most successful academic programs. The football stadium at SRU is named in Mihalik's honor.

BRIAN POLK (Player 1996-99 and SRU Hall of Famer)
Polk was a two-time All-American and a two-time first team All-PSAC selection as a defensive back at The Rock. He was named the 1998 PSAC Defensive Player of the Year and finished his career with an invite to play in the Snow Bowl. Polk is still the SRU career record holder in interceptions (17) and interceptions returned for a touchdown (4). He also ranks fourth all-time at SRU in passes defended (40). 

N. KERR THOMPSON (Coach and Administrator 1920-45 and SRU Hall of Famer)
Widely regarded as the "father of SRU athletics," N. Kerr Thompson was the head coach of the SRU football program from 1920-45, where he compiled an overall record of 126-58-11 for a program record .674 winning percentage. He oversaw four perfect seasons, 12 divisional titles and eight state championships in football, but also served as the head coach of the baseball and men's basketball teams as well. He went 271-135 in 25 years as the basketball coach and coached the baseball team from 1948-55. The old football field next to Morrow Field House and the current stadium at SRU are named in his honor.  



VERBIAGE FROM THE LEAGUE OFFICE ON THE PSAC 150
In recognition of college football's sesquicentennial season, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is proud to recognize a group of individuals who have been distinguished as The PSAC's 150 Contributors.

With various league and on-campus celebrations planned for the upcoming season, nominees were comprised of representatives from each current member institution. Those in consideration were identified by each institution as individuals who had made significant contributions to college football.

To determine the formation of the final 150, guidelines were put in place to have representation from each submitting institution. A committee comprised of seven former sports information directors then made selections to finalize the PSAC's 150 Contributors.

The PSAC is honored to present this group as representatives of the countless student-athletes, coaches, administrators and other contributors to the 150 years of college football.



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