Playing at a time when freshmen were ineligible for varsity athletics, Sam Palmisano was a three-year starter at center for the Johns Hopkins football team from 1970-72.
A team captain and a First Team All-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) selection as a senior, Palmisano helped Johns Hopkins to a three-year record of 17-10, including a 15-6 mark in the MAC. Only once in the 23 years after Palmisano graduated did Johns Hopkins win more than 17 games in a three-year span.
While individual statistics aren't attributed to offensive linemen, the success of the overall offense is indicative of the strength of the unit and Palmisano was the leader of a very effective group whose efforts dot the Blue Jay record book more than 40 years later.
The Blue Jays averaged 178.8 rushing yards in 1971 and 189.2 rushing yards in 1972. At the time, these were two of the top 10 single-season rushing averages in school history and rank as the only back-to-back seasons in which Johns Hopkins averaged more than 175 yards rushing between 1970 and 2000.
In addition to the yardage, the 23 rushing touchdowns the Blue Jays totaled in 1971 were the third-highest single-season total at Johns Hopkins in a 50-year span (1955-2005).
Palmisano and his teammates were at their best late in the season as Johns Hopkins compiled a sparkling 8-1 record in November during his three years of varsity action with season-ending wins against rival Western Maryland during his junior and senior years.
