Brandon Fusco
Encyclopedia
Brandon Fusco is an American football
center
for the Minnesota Vikings
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Vikings with the 172nd overall pick in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
.
in Harmony, Pennsylvania
, where he played offensive tackle. He did not play until his junior year at Seneca Valley, stating "Sophomore year, didn’t really do nothing and football just kind of came to my attention. I always watched it on TV and I sometimes got into a ticked off mood so I wanted to get out on the field and take my frustrations out on people." Despite performing for a team that won just one of eighteen contests during his two varsity seasons, Fusco earned All-WPIAL Class AAA-1 and honorable mention Quad North All-Star honors. Fusco was also an honor roll student.
Fusco was not heavily recruited out of high school, mainly due to his lack of prep school experience and his 6-4, 240 lbs frame. He was only offered a chance to play football at Division II
schools, Youngstown State and Slippery Rock
being the leading candidates. He eventually chose to enroll at Slippery Rock, stating that he felt very connected with the coaching staff.
. As a sophomore, Fusco received All-American honorable mention, All Super Region I and All Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
first-team honors. He started all eleven games at center, delivering ten touchdown
-resulting blocks for a unit that rushed for 29 scores. His efforts help Slippery Rock rank second in the conference with an average of 484.14 yards per game.
Fusco received All-American, All-Region and All-PSAC
first-team accolades as a junior. Named the team captain, he also received squad MVP honors. He led the PSAC Western Division with 98 knockdowns and eleven touchdown-resulting blocks, despite the team’s lack of a strong aerial game that ranked 59th in the nation. It was his drive blocking skills that helped the team finish fifth nationally in rushing (239.54 ypg) and seventh in total offense (456.69 ypg).
He became the 19th player in school history to garner All-American first-team honors more than once in a career, as the 2010 Gene Upshaw Award
winner and team captain captured All-PSAC honors for the third consecutive year. With a limited passing game, The Rock again relied on his drive blocking skills to place tenth in the Division II
ranks with an average of 247.38 yards per game rushing. He capped off an excellent career by becoming the first player in school history to compete in the Senior Bowl
.
and the NFL Combine
, Fusco was selected 172nd overall in the 2011 NFL Draft
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Vikings with the 172nd overall pick in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is a public, master's-level university that offers some doctoral programs in cooperation with Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Both institutions are members of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education...
.
Early years
Fusco attended Seneca Valley High SchoolSeneca Valley High School
Seneca Valley High School is a public high school in Germantown, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools...
in Harmony, Pennsylvania
Harmony, Pennsylvania
Harmony is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 937 at the 2000 census. It is located about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Geography:...
, where he played offensive tackle. He did not play until his junior year at Seneca Valley, stating "Sophomore year, didn’t really do nothing and football just kind of came to my attention. I always watched it on TV and I sometimes got into a ticked off mood so I wanted to get out on the field and take my frustrations out on people." Despite performing for a team that won just one of eighteen contests during his two varsity seasons, Fusco earned All-WPIAL Class AAA-1 and honorable mention Quad North All-Star honors. Fusco was also an honor roll student.
Fusco was not heavily recruited out of high school, mainly due to his lack of prep school experience and his 6-4, 240 lbs frame. He was only offered a chance to play football at Division II
Division II
Division II is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It offers an alternative to both the highly competitive level of intercollegiate sports offered in NCAA Division I and to the non-scholarship level offered in Division III...
schools, Youngstown State and Slippery Rock
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is a public, master's-level university that offers some doctoral programs in cooperation with Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Both institutions are members of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education...
being the leading candidates. He eventually chose to enroll at Slippery Rock, stating that he felt very connected with the coaching staff.
College career
After enrolling at Slippery Rock in 2006, Fusco spent his freshman season as a red shirt on the scout team, where he played offensive tackle. In 2007 spring drills, Fusco shifted to centerCenter (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
. As a sophomore, Fusco received All-American honorable mention, All Super Region I and All Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference that participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. The conference is composed of 16 full-time members within Pennsylvania and one associate member in New York...
first-team honors. He started all eleven games at center, delivering ten touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
-resulting blocks for a unit that rushed for 29 scores. His efforts help Slippery Rock rank second in the conference with an average of 484.14 yards per game.
Fusco received All-American, All-Region and All-PSAC
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference that participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. The conference is composed of 16 full-time members within Pennsylvania and one associate member in New York...
first-team accolades as a junior. Named the team captain, he also received squad MVP honors. He led the PSAC Western Division with 98 knockdowns and eleven touchdown-resulting blocks, despite the team’s lack of a strong aerial game that ranked 59th in the nation. It was his drive blocking skills that helped the team finish fifth nationally in rushing (239.54 ypg) and seventh in total offense (456.69 ypg).
He became the 19th player in school history to garner All-American first-team honors more than once in a career, as the 2010 Gene Upshaw Award
Gene Upshaw Award
The Gene Upshaw Award is awarded to the best United States college football lineman, offensive or defensive, in Division II. The award is presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club and is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association....
winner and team captain captured All-PSAC honors for the third consecutive year. With a limited passing game, The Rock again relied on his drive blocking skills to place tenth in the Division II
Division II
Division II is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It offers an alternative to both the highly competitive level of intercollegiate sports offered in NCAA Division I and to the non-scholarship level offered in Division III...
ranks with an average of 247.38 yards per game rushing. He capped off an excellent career by becoming the first player in school history to compete in the Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...
.
Minnesota Vikings
After a strong performance at the Senior BowlSenior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...
and the NFL Combine
NFL Combine
The National Invitational Camp or NFL Scouting Combine, as it is more widely known, is a week-long showcase, occurring every February in Indianapolis, Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium , where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches, general...
, Fusco was selected 172nd overall in the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
.
External links
- http://min.scout.com/2/1068735.html
- http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/121385804.html
- http://www.rockathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4788