By MNFB.com
November 23, 2010
Compiled from CoSIDA and Penn State Football releases.
Marple Newtown’s Pete Massaro earned first team Academic All-American honors from ESPN and CoSIDA. Massaro was one of three Nittany Lions to garner recognition,, along with Stefan Wisniewksi and Chris Colasanti. During Coach Joe Paterno’s tenure, Penn State has had 47 Academic All-Americans®, with 37 earning first team honors. The Nittany Lions’ all-time total of 49 Academic All-America® football players ranks third among all FBS institutions and leads all Big Ten institutions.
A Finance major with a 3.83 G.P.A., Massaro has started 9 of 11 games for the Nittany Lions. He has made 30 tackles with 3.5 sacks. He has made eight tackles for lost yardage, a mark tha leads the team. An Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection, the Newtown Square, Pa. native has made a full recovery from an ACL injury which sidelined him for the 2009 season.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 15,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.