Curt Warner stopped when he came across his shiny new plaque during a tour of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Opposing linebackers rarely had such luck halting the tailback during his record-setting career at Penn State.

Those achievements in Happy Valley, including the school rushing mark of 3,398 yards during a four-year career capped by the 1982 national title season, earned him a spot on college football's most prestigious honor roll.

Warner was still trying to grasp the significance of the accolade Thursday night after the tour of the Hall in South Bend, Ind. He's part of a 24-member class enshrined Saturday.

"It sort of brings into focus what this means," Warner said in a phone interview. "You don't really take it until you see your name."

Others to be honored Saturday include Heisman Trophy winners Gino Torretta of Miami and Tim Brown of Notre Dame, and coaches Dick MacPherson and John Robinson.

Few honorees ended their college careers on such a high note as Warner. He ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the 1983 Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia that secured the first national championship for Penn State under coach Joe Paterno.

Now Warner is joining Paterno, a 2007 inductee, in the Hall of Fame.

"In all my years at Penn State, we have had a lot of exceptional backs, and he is one of the very best of that distinguished group," Paterno, entering his 45th year as head coach, said in a statement.