Jason Trusnik, who has had the longest NFL career of any Ohio Northern alumnus, will be inducted into the ONU Athletics Hall of Fame this September.
Trusnik broke the news on Twitter yesterday, expressing his excitement and displaying his induction letter from the university.
It is an honor to be Inducted into @ohionorthern Athletics Hall Of Fame. Come Join us September 22-23, 2017! @ONUsports #HOF2017@onualumni pic.twitter.com/rY44obMwhB
— Jason Trusnik (@JasonTrusnik) August 8, 2017
Trusnik will be a first-ballot hall-of-famer, as he will be inducted 10 years after attending ONU, which is the minimum amount of time before a former student-athlete can be inducted.
He will be inducted alongside three other former Polar Bears, sports information director Tim Glon said Wednesday, although it will be a couple of weeks until the athletic department formally announces the 2017 inductees.
The induction will take place on Homecoming Weekend, Sept. 22-23. The football team hosts Otterbein on Sept. 23 in their third game of the season.
RELATED: Schmerge named preseason second-team All-American by d3football.com
Trusnik has played for six NFL teams over the past 10 years, appearing in 120 games and starting in 25. While he was signed by the New Orleans Saints last December, Trusnik is not currently listed on the team’s 53-man roster.
Trusnik was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2007. From there, he has played for the Jets, Browns, Dolphins, Panthers, Vikings and Saints. The six-foot-four, 240-pound linebacker/defensive end has recorded 169 tackles and 3.5 sacks in the league.
At ONU, Trusnik spent five years becoming one of the most dominant pass-rushers in Division III history.
Trusnik has the sixth-most career sacks in Division III history (43) and the most in ONU history (the next closest is Mark Evans with 29). He also set the school tackles-for-loss record with 85 in his career, setting opponents back a total of 413 yards.
The former DE ranks seventh all-time in school history in tackles with 277.
In his time at ONU, Trusnik was a two-time All-American and two-time All-OAC player. While he appeared in 42 games, he sat out the majority of the 2005 season due to a broken bone in his right foot.
Trusnik was known for his quickness off the line of scrimmage and his relentless pursuit of the football. His most productive NFL season so far came in 2009, when he played the majority of the season for the Cleveland Browns, located less than 40 minutes from his hometown of Macedonia, OH.
Trusnik recorded 45 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 12 games at linebacker for the Browns that year, as he started in 10. He also enjoyed success in Miami in 2014, when he recorded 34 tackles and his only NFL interception, appearing in all 16 games that season.
The ONU legend and NFL journeyman currently co-owns a training facility, Pro Sports Performance, located in Strongsville, OH. The training center specializes in “helping athletes develop the core elements of elite performance: speed, strength, and power,” according to its website.
Trusnik and former NFL punter Reggie Hodges split ownership duties at the facility