STATE COLLEGE, Pa., July 31, 2001 -- The Professional Football Hall of Fame will welcome a fifth former Penn State player when Mike Munchak, whose pro career spanned a dozen seasons with the Houston Oilers, is inducted as a member of the Class of 2001.

Munchak, from Scranton, teamed with Sean Farrell to give Penn State a guard tandem the equal of any in college football during the 1981 season. Munchak was the eighth player selected and the first offensive lineman chosen in the 1982 National Football League draft. Farrell also was chosen in Round 1 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Munchak will be one of seven new members of the pro Hall to be inducted in ceremonies at Canton, Ohio, on Saturday, Aug. 4, at 11:30 a.m.. The ex-Nittany Lion will join a PSU Alumni chapter that already includes August Michalske (inducted 1964), Lenny Moore (1975), Jack Ham (1988) and Franco Harris (1990).

"Mike Munchak was one of the great football players we've had at Penn State," Penn State head coach Joe Paterno said. "He was an extremely hard worker and a real credit to his family. We congratulate Mike on his well deserved induction into the Pro Football hall of Fame."

A fullback and defensive end at Scranton Central High School, Munchak was moved to the offensive line when he arrived at Penn State. He was a starter at long guard in 1979, missed the 1980 season after undergoing knee surgery, but returned to the starting lineup in 1981. A devastating blocker, Munchak and Farrell were the twin tandems of a line that helped the Nittany Lions to a 10-2 record in 1981 and a 26-10 victory over USC in the Fiesta Bowl. Farrell was named a first team All-America and Munchak won a second team berth. He passed up his senior college season to enter the draft.

Munchak wasted little time establishing himself as one of the premier guards in the National Football League. In just his third year in the league, he was named to the first of seven American Football Conference all-star teams. That same season he received the first of nine Pro Bowl invitations.

From an 0-8-1 record in the strike-shortened 1982 season, Munchak helped the Oilers to seven consecutive playoff appearances from 1987-93 including AFC Central Division titles in 1991 and 1993. He was considered the centerpiece of an Oiler offensive line that kept the Houston offense at or near the top of the NFL's major statistical categories. With Munchak in the lineup, Houston led the NFL in total offense in 1990 and in passing offense in 1990-91.

Despite chronic knee problems, Munchak played in 159 regular season games before retiring following the 1993 season. He joined the Oiler coaching staff in 1994 and is currently offensive line coach of the Tennessee Titans, having relocated from Houston with the former Oilers. He accompanied the Titans to the 2000 Super Bowl.

Joining Munchak in this year¡¯s HOF class will be Nick Buoniconti (Miami Dolphins), Marv Levy (coach of Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills), Jackie Slater (St. Louis/Los Angelas Rams), Lynn Swan (Pittsburgh Steelers), Ron Yary (Minnesota Vikings/L.A. Rams), Jack Youngblood (L.A. Rams). For more on this story, go to www.profootballhof.com.