Former Penn State All-American Dan Connor is thrilled to be back at alma mater

Aug. 17—Long before the injuries mounted, Dan Connor knew what he wanted to do once his NFL career ended.

Coaching football is part of his family's DNA. His father and his two brothers all have spent more than a decade in the profession at the high school and college levels.

"It's in my blood," Connor said. "We're football junkies. I knew for sure that once I hung up the cleats, that was going to be my transition."

He's back home at Penn State as a defensive analyst on James Franklin's staff, working at the place where he won the 2007 Bednarik Award as the nation's outstanding defensive player, became a two-time All-American and set the school record for career tackles.

Now 36, the former Strath Haven High School star is thrilled to be back in State College with his wife, Angela, and their two sons.

"It was surreal at first," Connor said. "I hadn't been back to campus for a long time because of playing (six seasons) in the NFL, coaching and raising a family. It was hard to get back.

"Being able to serve the program that gave me so much has been incredible. Giving back to a program I've taken so much from and being able to pay that back has been so rewarding."

Connor was hired in February as one of four defensive analysts. They're not permitted to do any on-field coaching, per NCAA rules.

"It's a lot of stuff behind the scenes," he said.

He began coaching in 2014 after he endured a torn ACL, a fractured hip, a torn Achilles' and a neck injury while playing linebacker for Carolina, Dallas and the New York Giants in the NFL.

He first reached out to West Chester University coach Bill Zwaan, a longtime family friend, to discuss coaching in general. Zwaan invited him to spend time with the Golden Rams to "see if it was a fit" and eventually hired him as linebackers coach.

Connor spent three seasons at West Chester, which went 26-9 in that stretch. He left to become head coach at Archbishop Carroll, which hadn't posted a winning season since 2007, and struggled to a 4-18 record in two years.

His next stop was Widener, where he coached four years as defensive coordinator. Last year, the Pride finished 7-4 and ranked second or third in the Middle Atlantic Conference in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense.

"When you come up coaching Division II, Division III and high school football, you really learn how to teach," Connor said. "You really learn how to coach. When you're coaching at smaller schools, you're filling every role. You're the defensive coordinator, but you're also organizing travel, doing meals and staffing weight rooms.

"It's the best possible way to come up in coaching, to learn on the fly and to learn from your mistakes. It's helped me a ton transitioning into this role."

Connor met with Franklin last summer and then with Brent Pry, who was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach until he left to become head coach at Virginia Tech. That put him on Franklin's radar.

Inside Lasch Building, former Lions teammate Alan Zemaitis, who had been hired in the recruiting department, was mentioning Connor's name frequently.

"I think he had a big role advocating for me and vouching for me," Connor said. "He would call and push for me. I got offered the job on Thursday. They said, 'Can you start Monday?' "

He did, and now he's working under Manny Diaz who he called "one of the best defensive coordinators I've ever been around."

He's had flashbacks in the last six months to the days when he received tutelage from Ron Vanderlinden, his linebackers coach.

"I even found some of his notes," Connor said. "I found Vandy's packet of about 10 pages of basic linebacker technique. It refreshed my memory on how good he was. He was one of the best linebacker coaches in the country.

"When I was coaching at West Chester and Widener, it was Vandy's drills, Vandy's verbiage and Vandy's technique. Everything he taught is the stuff I've used with linebackers."

The current Penn State linebackers don't know much about Connor's college career. A four-year regular from 2004-07, he still owns the school record with 419 career tackles. He was a finalist for the Butkus Award in 2007 as the nation's top linebacker and was a Bednarik finalist in 2006 before winning it as a senior.

Dominic DeLuca, a redshirt freshman, stopped Connor earlier this year at his first team meeting. He showed Connor a photo of himself, then 5 or 6, wearing a No. 40 jersey, the number worn by Connor at Penn State..

"Oh, man, I'm getting old," he said.

The Lions' last two-time first-team All-American, Connor would like to stay at Penn State in some capacity and make a home there for his family.

"I'd like to stay at Penn State as long as they'll have me," Connor said. "I don't really have ambitions to bounce around and move my family to a bunch of different places. Just staying here, even in the role I have now, is something that's pretty important.

"You're kind of a lifer when you go here and you know the history. Working for Coach Franklin, who I think is the best coach in the country and who's at the top of his game, you're learning so much. There's really no incentive to leave. I'd like to stay and see where it leads."