LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — In honor of college football's sesquicentennial and the surrounding College Football 150th Anniversary, the PSAC is recognizing 150 contributors to the sport who have been influential at each of the conference's 16 football-playing schools. The selections were announced at the PSAC Football Media Day Monday afternoon.
Among those selections are six former Golden Knights who have played a key role in the program over 70 years and 32 seasons. Coach Lou Tullio and players Art Arkelian, Darmel Whitfield, Jon Richardson,
Liam Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio/Leipsic Local) and
Marcus Jones (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) all received the honor of a spot on the PSAC list.
Tullio was the first coach in program history, leading the Golden Knights in both 1949 and 1950. His teams went 14-2, including a perfect 8-0 season in 1949 where Gannon outscored opponents 184-20.
Arkelian played an important role on those teams, and became Gannon's first All-American when he was named to the AP Little School team after the undefeated 1949 season.
Whitfield helped lead the transition into a full Division II schedule, playing four years at quarterback from 2001-04. He is second in program history with 10,412 yards of total offense, and was an honorable mention All-American in 2003 after leading the team to a 9-1 record.
Richardson played a key role in another program transition, as his career from 2006-09 straddled the move from the GLIAC to the PSAC. The running back was a three-time all-conference performer, and is third in program history with 3,891 all-purpose yards.
Nadler led the Golden Knights to their most sustained period of success in their PSAC history, winning 21 games over his final three seasons, including a 9-2 mark in 2014. A four-year starter at quarterback, he still sits fifth all-time in PSAC history with 11,863 yards of total offense.
Jones put up two of the most prolific rushing seasons in PSAC history over the past two seasons. The running back closed his career eight in conference history with 4,339 rushing yards, and third all-time with a 7.0-yard average per carry on his way to back-to-back All-America honors and a runner-up finish in the voting for the 2017 Harlon Hill Trophy.
The College Football 150th Anniversary is a year-long celebration at all levels of college football to commemorate the anniversary of the first college football game between Princeton and Rutgers on Nov. 6, 1869.
For the PSAC's selection of 150 contributors, member institutions nominated individuals who were identified as making a significant contribution to college football. To determine the final 150, guidelines were put in place to have representation from each submitting institution. A committee composed of seven former sports information directors then made selections to finalize the list.
Gannon kicks off its 33rd season of football on Sept. 5 at Southern Connecticut State. The Golden Knights make their home debut against West Chester at noon on Sept. 14 at McConnell Family Stadium.
