Western Pennsylvania has become known as the cradle of quarterbacks. But look at history, especially more recently, and a case could be made that the WPIAL is also the land of linebackers.

The WPIAL has produced linebackers who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, won Butkus awards as the top college linebacker in the country, and others who have been college All-Americans.

The next player to take up residency in this great land of linebackers could be Mike Hull.

Hull is a senior at Canon-McMillan with a lofty reputation -- both locally and nationally. He is a Penn State recruit ranked among the top 10 linebackers in the country by some scouting services. His high school playing days are strikingly similar to those of three other former Penn State stud linebackers - LaVar Arrington (North Hills), Paul Posluszny (Hopewell) and Sean Lee (Upper St. Clair). Hull even counts Lee, Penn State's star linebacker, as a friend and has been to Lee's apartment in State College.

Hull is 6 feet 1, 220 pounds, bright and articulate off the field; nasty and menacing on it.

"I think he knocked two or three of our players out of our game last year," said Woodland Hills coach George Novak.

After Central Catholic played Canon-McMillan last Friday, Central Catholic coach Terry Totten said of Hull, "That kid might stand on the steps of Canton someday."

Canton is the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so Totten's comment made you wonder what is in those Gatorade coolers on the Central Catholic sideline. Pegging a high school kid for the Hall of Fame is a little strong, and Totten realized as much when pressed on his comment. But he still said, "I don't know where he'll end up, but he's a great football player."

Novak's team plays Hull and Canon-McMillan tonight.

"He's a phenomenal player," Novak said. "There aren't many like him. I've seen a lot of great linebackers. Arrington was phenomenal. Brandon Short [McKeesport graduate] was phenomenal. This kid [Hull] is as good as it gets. He's an ironman. He doesn't leave the field."

The standout linebackers from the WPIAL are many. Brentwood's Joe Schmidt and Waynesburg's Bill George are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In the past 10 years, the WPIAL has produced two Butkus Award winners (Posluszny and Arrington). Short was an All-American at Penn State and Kiski Area graduate Scott McKillop was an All-American at Pitt last year. Plus, numerous others have been linebackers at the Division I level.

The similarities between Hull and Lee, Posluszny and Arrington are many. Arrington, Posluszny and Lee all were standout running backs in high school. Hull is closing in on 3,000 yards rushing for his career.

Lee, Posluszny and Arrington also were talented in other sports. Lee was an outstanding basketball player. Arrington also was a good basketball player, although he didn't play as a senior. He was a standout sprinter and long jumper in track and field. Posluszny also played basketball until his senior year at Hopewell.

Hull is a talented outfielder in baseball and also a good wrestler, but didn't compete in wrestling last year because of injuries.

Hull has gotten to know Lee through a former Canon-McMillan football player, Doug Rheam, who was Lee's college roommate.

"I don't know Posluszny, but I know Sean Lee and I know the demeanor he has," said Canon-McMillan coach Guy Montecalvo. "Mike and Sean Lee are frighteningly similar. Their work ethic is unbelievable. You have to be with Mike on a daily basis to see the drive he has. He's never satisfied."

Lee has a reputation for loving to work out. Hull said, "I can't go more than a few days without working out. I feel like a bum."

Lee is known to strive for perfection. Same for Hull. He missed a tackle on a big play against Central Catholic last week and Central's, Damion Jones-Moore ran for a touchdown. Never mind that Hull was making tackles all over the field during the rest of the game.

"I just want to make all the plays the team expects me to make," said Hull, who has a 3.8 grade-point average and is a member of the National Honor Society. "Like when I missed that tackle. That play might have been the game changer. I couldn't sleep for three days. It was ridiculous. I can still [see] that play right now."

Hull is the son of a former Penn State linebacker. Tom Hull, a Uniontown graduate, also spent two years in the NFL. John Hull, Tom's brother and Mike's uncle, also played linebacker at Penn State.

Tom Hull wasn't keen on his son playing football until junior high, but dad relented and let Mike start playing when he was 9. Mike, who was born in Ellwood City, was a tall, thin defensive back for a few years.

"I never had a problem hitting someone," Mike Hull said. "I think it was after my freshman year when I realized I might have a future on defense."

Just like Posluszny, Lee, Arrington, Short and others realized. Tom Bradley, Penn State's defensive coordinator, recruited and coached all four of those players, and Bradley also recruited Hull.

"In Western Pennsylvania, you're going to find maybe as many good linebackers as good quarterbacks," Bradley said. "We've had a lot of them here."

Under NCAA rules, Bradley is not permitted to comment on Hull, but Bradley did talk about why the WPIAL is producing top-notch linebackers. And remember, if you went just outside the WPIAL, linebacker legend Jack Ham played at Bishop McCort in Johnstown.

"All those guys you've mentioned played both sides of the ball," Bradley said. "Nowadays, you see more two-platoon teams where guys play only one position. But not in Western Pennsylvania. A lot of Western Pennsylvania coaches are still putting their best players on the field and playing them both ways. I think you grow as a football player in doing that."

Playing more than one sport is a trait that runs through many of the great linebackers also.

"They didn't just play them, either. They were excellent in the other sports. There are obviously traits you're looking for in a linebacker, not only athletically, but personality-wise, too. I think it's good for them to play other sports because it gives you a great awareness as an athlete."

One of the greatest linebackers from the WPIAL is Joe Schmidt, a Brentwood graduate who was an All-American at Pitt and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Scott McKillop was an All-American at Pitt last year.

Pitt assistant coach Greg Gattuso also was a linebacker in high school at Seton-LaSalle, and believes a certain Western Pennsylvania mentality is a reason for a linebacker's success.

"This area generates tough, hard-nosed people and that relates to being a good linebacker," Gattuso said. "When you add that toughness to some athletic ability, you have some great linebackers."

Canon-McMillan's Montecalvo said, "I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a small corner of some state in this union where there have been better linebackers than here."

But please, Hull says, do not include him in this "great" linebackers list.

"I have to stay level-headed," he said. "I have to work hard to live up to what people are saying. But I really don't think I'm that good at this point."

Western Pennsylvania has become known as the cradle of quarterbacks. But look at history, especially more recently, and a case could be made that the WPIAL is also the land of linebackers. • The WPIAL has produced linebackers who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, won Butkus awards as the top college linebacker in Division I-A, and others who have been college All-Americans. • The next player to take up residency in this great land of linebackers could be Mike Hull. • Hull is a senior at Canon-McMillan with a lofty reputation -- locally and nationally. He is a Penn State recruit ranked among the top 10 linebackers in the country by some scouting services. His high school playing days are strikingly similar to those of three other former Penn State stud linebackers -- LaVar Arrington (North Hills), Paul Posluszny (Hopewell) and Sean Lee (Upper St. Clair). Hull counts Lee, Penn State's star linebacker, as a friend and has been to Lee's apartment in State College. • Hull is 6 feet 1, 220 pounds, bright and articulate off the field; nasty and menacing on it. • "I think he knocked two or three of our players out of our game last year," Woodland Hills coach George Novak said. • After Central Catholic played Canon-McMillan last week, Central Catholic coach Terry Totten said of Hull, "That kid might stand on the steps of Canton someday." SEE HULL, PAGE S-3

Canton, Ohio, is the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so Totten's comment made you wonder what is in those Gatorade coolers on the Central Catholic sideline. Pegging a high school kid for the Hall of Fame is a little strong, and Totten realized as much when pressed on his comment. But he still said, "I don't know where he'll end up, but he's a great football player."

Novak's team plays Hull and Canon-McMillan tonight.

"He's a phenomenal player," Novak said. "There aren't many like him. I've seen a lot of great linebackers. Arrington was phenomenal. Brandon Short [McKeesport graduate] was phenomenal. This kid [Hull] is as good as it gets. He's an ironman. He doesn't leave the field."

The standout linebackers from the WPIAL are many. Brentwood's Joe Schmidt and Waynesburg's Bill George are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In the past 10 years, the WPIAL has produced two Butkus Award winners (Posluszny and Arrington). Short was an All-American at Penn State and Kiski Area graduate Scott McKillop was an All-American at Pitt last year. Plus, numerous others have been linebackers at the Division I level.

The similarities between Hull and Lee, Posluszny and Arrington are many. Arrington, Posluszny and Lee were standout running backs in high school. Hull is closing in on 3,000 yards rushing for his career.

Lee, Posluszny and Arrington also were talented in other sports. Lee was an outstanding basketball player. Arrington also was a good basketball player, although he didn't play as a senior. He was a standout sprinter and long jumper in track and field. Posluszny also played basketball until his senior year at Hopewell.

Hull is a talented outfielder in baseball and also a good wrestler, but didn't compete in wrestling last year because of injuries.

Hull has gotten to know Lee through a former Canon-McMillan football player, Doug Rheam, who was Lee's college roommate.

"I don't know Posluszny, but I know Sean Lee and I know the demeanor he has," Canon-McMillan coach Guy Montecalvo said. "Mike and Sean Lee are frighteningly similar. Their work ethic is unbelievable. You have to be with Mike on a daily basis to see the drive he has. He's never satisfied."

Lee has a reputation for loving to work out. Hull said, "I can't go more than a few days without working out. I feel like a bum."

Lee is known to strive for perfection. Same for Hull. He missed a tackle on a big play against Central Catholic last week and Central's Damion Jones-Moore ran for a touchdown. Never mind that Hull was making tackles all over the field in the rest of the game.

"I just want to make all the plays the team expects me to make," said Hull, who has a 3.8 grade-point average and is a member of the National Honor Society. "Like when I missed that tackle. That play might have been the game-changer. I couldn't sleep for three days. It was ridiculous. I can still see that play right now."

Hull is the son of a former Penn State linebacker. Tom Hull, a Uniontown graduate, also spent two years in the NFL. John Hull, Tom's brother and Mike's uncle, also played linebacker at Penn State.

Tom Hull was not keen on his son playing football until junior high, but dad relented and let Mike start playing when he was 9. Mike, who was born in Ellwood City, was a tall, thin defensive back for a few years.

"I never had a problem hitting someone," Mike Hull said. "I think it was after my freshman year when I realized I might have a future on defense."

Just like Posluszny, Lee, Arrington, Short and others realized. Tom Bradley, Penn State's defensive coordinator, recruited and coached all four of those players, and Bradley also recruited Hull.

"In Western Pennsylvania, you're going to find maybe as many good linebackers as good quarterbacks," Bradley said. "We've had a lot of them here."

Under NCAA rules, Bradley is not permitted to comment on Hull, but Bradley did talk about why the WPIAL is producing top-notch linebackers. And remember, if you went just outside the WPIAL, linebacker legend Jack Ham played at Bishop McCort in Johnstown.

"All those guys you've mentioned played both sides of the ball," Bradley said. "Nowadays, you see more two-platoon teams where guys play only one position. But not in Western Pennsylvania. A lot of Western Pennsylvania coaches are still putting their best players on the field and playing them both ways. I think you grow as a football player in doing that."

Playing more than one sport also is a trait that runs through many of the great linebackers.

"They didn't just play them, either. They were excellent in the other sports. There are obviously traits you're looking for in a linebacker, not only athletically, but personality-wise, too. I think it's good for them to play other sports because it gives you a great awareness as an athlete."

One of the greatest linebackers from the WPIAL is Joe Schmidt, a Brentwood graduate who was an All-American at Pitt and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Scott McKillop was an All-American at Pitt last year.

Pitt assistant coach Greg Gattuso also was a linebacker in high school at Seton-LaSalle, and he believes a certain Western Pennsylvania mentality is a reason for a linebacker's success.

"This area generates tough, hard-nosed people, and that relates to being a good linebacker," Gattuso said. "When you add that toughness to some athletic ability, you have some great linebackers."

Canon-McMillan's Montecalvo said, "I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a small corner of some state in this union where there have been better linebackers than here."

But please, Hull says, do not include him in this "great" linebackers list.

"I have to stay level-headed," he said. "I have to work hard to live up to what people are saying. But I really don't think I'm that good at this point."