Reggie Givens
Reginald Alonzo Givens is an American former professional football linebacker in both the Canadian Football League and National Football League for the Baltimore Stallions, Toronto Argonauts, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins. He played college football at Penn State University.
Early life
Givens attended Sussex Central High School, where he was an All-American and Virginia's high school defensive player of the year in 1988, after registering over 100 tackles. He also was a standout in basketball and track.College career
He accepted a scholarship from Penn State University and became a starter at outside linebacker as a true freshman for the last 5 games of the season, which was a difficult achievement in a Joe Paterno coached team. What he lacked in size, he compensated with his speed and instincts, finishing with 38 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 passes defensed and 2 fumble recoveries.As a sophomore, he started nine games at sam linebacker, recording 47 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 5 passes defensed, 2 sacks and one interception. As a junior, he started every game for a team that finished ranked third in the nation, posting 41 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 interceptions.
As a senior co-captain he posted 59 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 7 passes defensed, 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. His best moment came when he was named the defensive MVP of the 1992 Fiesta Bowl in a 47-17 win against the University of Tennessee, after causing two crucial turnovers, including a fumble return for a 23-yard touchdown. After his career was over, Paterno told NFL scouts that Givens "was my best linebacker here since Jack Ham".