Saquon's next step? Carrying Penn State into the NFL like these legends

Frank Bodani
York Daily Record
Lenny Moore, (left) former Penn State running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer, chats with football staffer Jemal Griffin (right), as the Nittany Lions defeated Maryland at M&T Bank Stadium in 2015.

The Penn State legends relaxed together at a table in the Heritage Hills Golf Resort and Conference Center.

Lenny Moore kept signing memorabilia. Dave Robinson kept talking.

Eventually, the conversation led to Saquon Barkley. Penn State's new "greatest-ever," who dominated the NFL Combine and may well be the first pick in April's draft. 

Moore and Robinson have more than 50 years on him. But to understand Penn State football is to trace the line from them to him.

Moore and Robinson helped integrate college football. They learned to thrive as African-Americans at Penn State at a time when they couldn't even find a barber to cut their hair.

Moore inspired Robinson at Penn State, then in the pros. After retiring, he did the same for Lydell Mitchell and Franco Harris. And on it went, one player to the next, all the way to Ki-Jana Carter giving hugs and words of advice to Barkley after games.

Packers legend Dave Robinson greets Bart Starr as they are introduced during a break against the New Orleans Saints Sunday, October 22, 2017 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.

Robinson earned his civil engineering degree from Penn State. Moore eventually mentored young people across Baltimore.

"I don't care what your job is, you've got to know what happened in the past. You've got to know what your career is built on," Robinson, 76, said before meeting fans at the recent York Area Sports Night.

Robinson won three straight NFL titles with the Green Bay Packers, including the first two Super Bowls. He and fellow linebacker Jack Ham are the only Nittany Lions in both the college and pro football halls of fame.

Moore, now 84, revolutionized the running back position with the Baltimore Colts, dominating with his receiving as much as his running. Sound familiar?

He did most everything at Penn State, from returning kicks and punts to playing defensive back so well he could have starred there in the NFL. As a junior he was Penn State's first-ever player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season (averaging 8 yards a carry). As a senior he led the team with six interceptions

He combined size, speed and graceful cutbacks like no one else in the 1950s.

He's in the Pro Football Hall of Fame but not the college version because he was never a first-team All-American. Part of the snub was because Penn State football still lacked notoriety then, behind Syracuse, Pitt, Army and Notre Dame. Part may have been the color of skin.

That was never lost on Lydell Mitchell. He described breaking Moore's all-time Colts' rushing record as a "magic moment."

"I could be mentioned in the same breath as the great Lenny Moore. Even a better person than a football player ..."

Lenny Moore was the nation's second-leading rusher in 1954 -- and the best defender on his team -- and still didn't earn All-America status. He owned similar all-around, generational skills to Saquon Barkley.

Joe Paterno called Moore the greatest he ever coached.

But the greatest ever at Penn State?

Robinson has the rings and halls of fame. Moore changed the way a position was played. And Barkley was as entertaining as productive, displaying an unmatched athleticism and flair in everything he did.

Dave Robinson was the Packers’ first-round draft choice in 1963 and also played with the College All-Stars who beat the two-time defending NFL champions that year.

Will Barkley's reliable foundation and reputation carry him through the pros and beyond like Robinson and Moore?

His path will be more scrutinized and yet smoother because of them.

"I think it's vital that (current players) know them," said Penn State football historian Lou Prato. "They should know what people went through to establish their (opportunities now).

"They went through hell here and still loved Penn State… They played their hearts out for Penn State when college was not conducive to blacks' success. They were the pioneers. They slashed through the jungles to reach the promised lands.

"I wish the players today understood this."

Like how Robinson steamed on a Bourbon Street curb while his white Green Bay Packer teammates checked into their pregame hotel. He waited 45 minutes for a ride to an African-American-only hotel on the other side of New Orleans.

Or how, when playing the Colts, he'd go against four hall of famers on a single play. He fought through the blocks of tight end John Mackey and lineman Jim Parker as Johnny Unitas handed off the ball.

"Then I see Lenny peaking around the corner. I mean, you don't know how big Jim Parker was ...

"So I would go low. I looked down and saw four legs coming at me. If there's four legs at least one of them's got to be Lenny's. I just grabbed three of those legs and we all went down in a pile."  

How often do hall of famers meet like this? Football's Dave Robinson, left, and baseball's Juan Marichal exchange well-wishes at York Area Sports Night.

Now it's Barkley's turn. He's the next critical mentor and representative of Penn State football.

If he could have seen Robinson a couple of weeks ago, still revving as he worked the room  ...

As he began signing autographs he looked up to see an old baseball pitcher smiling at him, hand outstretched.

"Hey, wait a minute. What's your name?" Robinson asked, smiling back even bigger.

The man answered politely.

"Juan Marichal."

"Oh yeah, I recognized your face. How you've been?" Robinson said. He knew neither had played their sport in 45 years.

"How's the arm doing?"

The two hall of famers laughed before going back to business.

Robinson telling one story after another about re-shaping the NFL decades ago. And how it could use another do-it-all leader from Penn State right about now.