Penn State, 1983
• 1982 First Team Academic All-America®
Todd Blackledge was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 1997.
Todd Blackledge, a native of Canton, Ohio, was the starting quarterback for three years at Penn State. During the 1982 season he guided the Nittany Lions to an 11–1 record and a National Championship with a 27-23 victory over Georgia in the 1983 Sugar Bowl. Blackledge also led the Nittany Lions to a pair of Fiesta Bowl victories the previous two seasons.
While at PSU, Blackledge was named the nation’s top quarterback and received the Davey O’Brien Award, was sixth in standing for the Heisman Trophy and finished his collegiate career with 26 school records, including career (42) and single-season touchdown passes (22).
Blackledge graduated with a degree in speech communication in 1983, with a 3.8 GPA. He was awarded the Eric Walker Award, which is given to the Penn State senior student who has most “enhanced the esteem and recognition of the University.”
The following season, Blackledge began his six-season professional career signing with the Kansas City Chiefs after being selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft. He played for five seasons (1983-1987) with the Chiefs and finished his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1988-1989).
Blackledge went on to host radio sports talk shows in Cleveland (WKNR) and Canton (WHBC). He also did analyst work for the Big East Network, Indianapolis Colts preseason games, ESPN, and ABC Sports. In 1999, Blackledge became a lead analyst for CBS Sports college football coverage. Then in 2006, he began on ESPN College Football Primetime.
Blackledge was selected as a 2008 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award recipient, which recognizes former student-athletes who excelled both in their collegiate and professional careers.