December 4, 2012 at 6:22 PM

Penn State's senior class was honored again as the group of players was honored with the Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award.

The honor, which is presented by the Maxwell Football Club, is in recognition of the "commitment, leadership and outstanding effort during the season" shown by the 31 Penn State seniors.

The Nittany Lions won eight of their last 10 games to finish the season at 8-4 under first-year coach Bill O'Brien. The team had to battle through harsh NCAA sanctions issued against the school in July and as a result, the loss of nine players who transferred.

All year, O'Brien — who was recently named the Big Ten Coach of the Year — called the group a special senior class. In a press release, Maxwell Football Club President and former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Ron Jaworski, said the spirit and courage displayed by Penn State's seniors made them worthy of being honored with the award.

“The senior leaders at Penn State demonstrated incredible commitment, character and effort during the past year, and what they accomplished on the field this fall is just astonishing," Jaworski said in a press release. “With the difficult circumstances surrounding the program it would have been easy for many of these players to look for a different situation to finish their college careers. But they chose to stay and support their teammates, coaches and university."

The award will be presented to the Lion's seniors at the 76th Maxwell Football Club National Awards Gala on Mar. 1, 2013 in Atlantic  City.