Former Penn St. RB Warner set to rush into Hall

NCAA Football Betting Lines

07/17/2010 -

Curt Warner stopped when he came across his shiny new plaque during a tour of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Opposing linebackers rarely had such luck halting the tailback during his record-setting career at Penn State.

Those achievements in Happy Valley, including the school rushing mark of 3,398 yards during a four-year career capped by the 1982 national title season, earned him a spot on college football's most prestigious honor roll.

Warner was still trying to grasp the significance of the accolade Thursday night after the tour of the Hall in South Bend, Ind. He's part of a 24-member class enshrined Saturday.

``It sort of brings into focus what this means,'' Warner said in a phone interview. ``You don't really take it until you see your name.''

Others to be honored Saturday include Heisman Trophy winners Gino Torretta of Miami and Tim Brown of Notre Dame, and coaches Dick MacPherson and John Robinson.

Few honorees ended their college careers on such a high note as Warner. He ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the 1983 Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia that secured the first national championship for Penn State under coach Joe Paterno.

Now Warner is joining Paterno, a 2007 inductee, in the Hall of Fame.

``In all my years at Penn State, we have had a lot of exceptional backs, and he is one of the very best of that distinguished group,'' Paterno, entering his 45th year as head coach, said in a statement. That's pretty impressive considering JoePa has coached standouts like Heisman winner John Cappelletti, Lydell Mitchell and Blair Thomas.

Warner's 18 100-yard rushing games remain a Penn State record, as does his 341 all-purpose yards at Syracuse in 1981. He led the Nittany Lions in rushing from 1980-82.

Warner arrived in State College, a small town in the middle of rural Pennsylvania, from another small town, Pineville, W.Va. He was recruited by Tim Curley - now the Penn State athletic director - and didn't lack confidence from the start in 1979.

``One thing that football players or athletes in general do is you learn to evaluate the talent you are competing against or competing with,'' Warner said. ``Obviously we had some great athletes and football players, obviously you have to hone your skills ... but that first practice and the first game, I realized that I can compete.''

Warner went on to a distinguished career in the NFL after being selected third in the 1983 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He led the AFC in rushing his rookie year with 1,449 yards and 13 touchdowns on 335 carries, helping Seattle reach the conference finals.

Warner missed most of the 1984 season after suffering a knee injury in the opener. He played in Seattle until 1989 before going to the Los Angeles Rams to finish his eight-season NFL career in 1990 with 6,844 yards and 56 touchdowns rushing.

A car dealer for the last 16 years in Vancouver, Wash., Warner also helps coach a high school football team - running backs, of course.

Invariably, the subject of what it was like to play for Paterno always comes up. It's not often someone can list major college football's winningest coach as a reference on the resume.

After praising Paterno, Warner said with a chuckle, ``More importantly, you find out he's a pretty nice guy when you get out.''

Warner's Penn State rushing record will likely be eclipsed this year by senior Evan Royster, who is 480 yards shy of the mark.

``I think we're different. I was a little shiftier, more erratic,'' Warner said when asked to compare himself to Royster's running style. ``But the objective was, and the objective always is, to get up the field.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Caisononnet NCAA Football Betting News

<< Headley, Padres crush Diamondbacks
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chase Headley went 3-for-4 with a double and home run, helping the San Diego Padres to a 12-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the teams' second-half opener. Jon Garland (9-6) gave up just one

<< Calvillo leads Als to win at BC
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anthony Calvillo completed 30-of-46 passes for 297 yards to lead the Montreal Alouettes to a 16-12 victory over the British Columbia Lions at Empire Field in Vancouver. Avon Cobourne finished with 1

<< Weaver helps Angels edge Hernandez, Mariners
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jered Weaver pitched seven innings of two-run ball, as the Angels held off the Mariners, 3-2, in the second test of a four- game series. Weaver (9-5), who gave up six hits, snapped a two-start skid. The righ

<< Zito sparkles, Giants blank Mets again
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Giants starter Barry Zito tossed eight brilliant innings to outduel fellow southpaw Jonathan Niese, as San Francisco blanked the light-hitting New York Mets again, 1-0, at AT&T Park. Zito (8-4)

<< Twins snap White Sox's nine-game win streak
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Mauer had two hits, including a big two-run single in the eighth inning, as the Minnesota Twins held on for a 7-4 victory and snapped Chicago's nine-game win streak. Francisco Liriano (7-7) pitche

Oosthuizen five clear with 2nd round completed >>
St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A wind delay Friday forced the completion of the second round of the British Open into Saturday morning. Louis Oosthuizen remained atop the leaderboard as he finished his five-under 67 on Fri

Szavay, Zahlavova Strycova advance to Prague final >>
Prague, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Agnes Szavay and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova were both easy semifinal winners Saturday at the $220,000 Prague Open tennis event. Szavay, last week's Budapest titlist, downed unseeded Czech Lucie

Mets try to rebound against homestanding Giants >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets are hoping something will give when they take on the San Francisco Giants Saturday night in the third installment of a four-game set at AT&T Park. New York has lost the first two games of this set

Richard, Padres resume series vs. D'Backs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Clayton Richard was bailed out by his offense the last time he took the mound. The San Diego Padres hope that Richard won't need the help when he gets the nod tonight in the second installment of a three-game series versus

Cards send Wainwright to hill vs. Dodgers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Wainwright will try to become just the second 14-game winner in the major leagues and remain perfect at home when he leads the St. Louis Cardinals into the third test of a four-game series tonight versus the Los Ang

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.