Rip Engle: The Man Before the Machine

Rip Engle is a forgotten figure in Nittany Lion football lure. In a list of important football figures, Engle's name is far down on a list below Joe Paterno, Todd Blackledge and countless members of Linebacker U.

Not in this story. The statistical and historical look at Penn State's proud pigskin program looks at Engle's legacy in Chapter 2 of "Penn State Football: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports."

Here is a list of pertinent information some know -- and many don't -- about the man in charge before Paterno took over in 1966.

• Engle was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973
• A game called "Angleball" was developed by the head coach to improve his team's fitness
• Engle played collegiately at Western Maryland
• One of his famous quotes reads "A team that defeats a far inferior team has accomplished nothing"
• Everyone knows Paterno followed, but only the diehards know the name Joe Bedenk, the man who preceded Engle in Happy Valley.

You can read Engle's story in the upcoming book.