Inside the Untold Leadership Secrets That Drove Penn State’s 2005 Championship Triumph
Looking back at Penn State’s unforgettable 2005 football season, what really jumps out isn’t just the dazzling victories or the nail-biting triple-overtime Orange Bowl win—it’s the sheer, unshakable leadership that steered the ship. Dan Connor, now coaching the next generation of Nittany Lion linebackers, vividly recalls how the team’s captains and seasoned players commanded respect not with loudmouth bravado but with mature, steady confidence—as if they were an extension of the coaching staff. That year, the Lions roared to an 11-1 record, captured the Big Ten championship, and clinched a top-three national ranking, setting a standard that still resonates two decades later. This Saturday, Penn State honors that trailblazing team, a perfect chance to reflect on how resilience and raw talent combined to create a powerhouse—fueled in no small part by figures like Paul Posluszny and Michael Robinson, whose quiet strength pushed their teammates to new heights. It’s a story of grit, growth, and greatness that’s as inspiring now as it was then.
When Dan Connor thinks back on Penn State’s 2005 football season, he mostly recalls the examples set by the team captains and other upper classmen.
“There was unbelievable leadership,” Connor said Thursday. “They just handled themselves like grown men. I looked at them almost like they were part of the coaching staff, which showed how mature they were and how well they were able to lead.”
The Nittany Lions went 11-1 that season, won the Big Ten championship, beat Florida State 26-23 in triple overtime in the Orange Bowl and finished third in the polls.
Penn State will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 2005 team between the first and second quarter of the non-conference game Saturday against Villanova at 3:30 (TV-FS1).
Connor, a high school star at Strath Haven, now is an assistant coach for the Lions, guiding the linebackers. He was a sophomore in 2005 who started nine games alongside Paul Posluszny and Tim Shaw.
Connor, who remains Penn State’s all-time leader in tackles, went on to become a two-time All-American and the 2007 recipient of the Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in the country.
Posluszny, a year older than Connor, also was a two-time All-American, a two-time winner of the Bednarik Award (2005, ’06) and the Butkus Award winner as the nation’s best linebacker in 2005.
“If I didn’t have a guy like Paul in a class above me, I don’t think I would have been able to develop the way I did,” Connor said. “I was watching a guy who had it figured out. I watched how he prepared himself mentally and physically for games.
“I was trying to compete with him and keep up with him, which pushed the standard of the entire room.”
Penn State had four losing seasons in five years going into 2005. The Lions were 2-7 in 2004 before edging Indiana 22-18 on a goal-line stand and then routing Michigan State 37-13 in the season finale.
“It felt like that goal-line stand (at Indiana) was the start of the 2005 season,” Connor said. “We returned a bunch of players. We had Mike Rob (Michael Robinson) coming back at quarterback. He was a game-changing player.
“I think the struggles we had in 2004 taught us the resilience to be able to be successful in 2005.”
Posluszny, Robinson and Alan Zemaitis, who’s now on the Penn State recruiting staff, were the team captains. Robinson won the Silver Football as the Big Ten Player of the Year.
“They led in an assertive manner, but not yelling and screaming,” Connor said. “There was no corniness or inauthenticity. It was the purest form of leadership.
“When you have leaders like we did on that team and talent all around, all the stars aligned. All the pieces were in place to have a successful season.”
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