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Colella, Polit bringing Penn State stars to Scranton

Meet and Greet, Q & A, and autograph session Thursday at PSU Worthington

By Jack Smiles jsmiles@psdispatch.com
Times Leader Staff Writer

West Pittston Chiropractor, Dr. Frank Colella, met O.J. McDuffie 15 years ago on a cruise with Miami Dolphin players. Colella and McDuffie, the former Penn State star, became friends.

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Ki-Jana Carter

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This Thursday Colella and dentist Dr. Tony Polit -- through their business Prime 138 Investments, LLC – in conjunction with and CharitySignings.com, are bringing O.J. McDuffie and other former Penn State players to the area for a signing and meet and greet.

The event, billed as a Night of Penn State Pride, is hosted by the Greater Scranton Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association at the Penn State Worthington Campus on Thursday, July 9 from 6 to 9 p.m.

In addition to McDuffie, Ki-Jana Carter, Brian O’Neal and Troy Drayton will be there. Reggie Givens and Jordan Norwood are strong possibilities to attend.

Tickets are $30 at the door and $25 prepaid through paypal online at www.PSUScranton.com. Prepaid tickets will be at will call.

Tickets are good for a Meet and Greet, Question and Answer Session, and one autograph from each of the appearing athletes and photo opportunities. Refreshments will be provided. As Dr. Colella pointed out that’s just $5 per autograph from some of the biggest stars in Penn State history.

Additional mail order autograph requests can be done through www.charitysignings.com

Ki-Jana Carter was a 1994 All-American on the 12-0 Penn State team. Although he left Penn State after his junior year, Carter is a top ten PSU running back with 2,829 yards rushing and 38 touchdowns. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting for 1994 and was the number one overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his first preseason NFL game of his rookie year. That limited his career though he did play in the NFL for Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins and the New Orleans Saints.

O.J. McDuffie is Penn State’s second leading single season receiver with 62 in 1992 and fourth on the career list with 125. McDuffie was Miami’s first round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft. With the Dolphins McDuffie had 415 career catches, fourth all-time for the Dolphins, in 116 games for 5,074 yards and 29 TDs. He led the NFL in receptions with 90 in 1998.

Brian O’Neal was a fullback who blocked for Carter in his 1000 yard season in 1993. O’Neal gained 691 yards on 151 carries, with 20 career catches for 189 yards and 12 touchdowns. He played two seasons in the NFL.

Troy Drayton played in nine seasons in the National Football League, mainly for the St. Louis Rams and the Miami Dolphins. He was All-America at Penn State where he played from 1989 to 1992.

Jordan Norwood was a senior receiver for PSU last season, when he passed McDuffie for third on the all-time recpetion list. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cleveland Browns.