Chuck Fusina

Charles Anthony Fusina (born May 31, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL) from 1979 to 1986. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American in 1978. Fusina played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers of the NFL, and the Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars of the USFL.

Early life Fusina was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He played quarterback for the Pittsburgh area Sto-Rox High School in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, where his old football jersey is on display outside of the gymnasium.

College career Fusina capped an outstanding career at Penn State University by winning the 1978 Maxwell Award, All-America honors, and was the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting. He led the Nittany Lions to a mark as a starter, including an 11–0 regular season in 1978. He passed for 1,859 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Fusina earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Penn State in 1979. He also earned an MBA from La Salle University in 1988.

College statistics Legend Led Independents NCAA record Led the NCAA Bold Career high

Year Team GP Passing Rushing Cmp Att Pct Yds TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD 1975 Penn State 3 4 9 44.4 42 0 1 61.4 8 37 4.6 0 1976 Penn State 11 88 167 52.7 1,260 11 10 125.8 31 -88 -2.8 3 1977 Penn State 11 142 246 57.7 2,221 15 9 146.4 29 -53 -1.8 1 1978 Penn State 11 137 242 56.6 1,859 11 12 126.2 51 -116 -2.3 2 Career 36 371 664 55.9 5,382 37 32 132.7 119 -220 -1.8 6 Includes bowl games.

Professional career At 6'1" 195-lb., Fusina was a 5th round draft pick (#133 overall) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1979 NFL draft. He spent his first three professional seasons as back-up to Doug Williams. In 1983, he left for the fledgling USFL. Fusina signed with the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars where he blossomed under coach Jim Mora. In his three seasons with the team, he passed for over 10,000 yards in the USFL with 66 touchdowns and a QB rating of 88.6 and led the Stars to back-to-back USFL titles in 1984 and 1985. He was named MVP of the 1984 USFL Championship Game. When the league folded in August 1986, Fusina returned to the NFL for one season with the Green Bay Packers.

Regular season Year Team Games Passing GP Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg 1983 Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars 18 15–3 238 421 56.5 2,718 6.5 15 10 78.1 1984 Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars 18 16–2 302 465 64.9 3,837 8.3 31 9 104.7 1985 Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars 18 10–7-1 303 496 61.1 3,496 7.0 20 14 84.0 Career 54 41-12-1 843 1,382 61.0 10,051 7.3 66 33

Postseason Year Team Games Passing GP Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int 1983 Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars 2 1–1 47 80 58.75 446 5.6 5 4 1984 Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars 3 3-0 36 58 6.1 414 7.1 1 1 1985 Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars 3 3–0 35 62 56.5 463 7.5 4 4 Career 8 7–1 118 200 59.0 1323 6.6 10 9

Personal life Fusina has been an instructor at the Gus Purcell Quarterback School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He and his wife, Jacquelyn live in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, and his children Matt and Shannon currently live in Washington, DC.

Hall of Fame In 2015 Fusina was elected to the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (PSHF) along with his head coach Joe Paterno and teammate, kicker Matt Bahr.