When I arrived at Penn State in 1991, Joe Paterno was 65 years old and entering his 26th year as head coach. Even for the truly elite college coaches, that’s a career.
I remember feeling fortunate that Joe was still on the sidelines when I graduated 4 years later. I truly thought he might retire before I left.
That was 16 years ago.
I wonder how many Big 10 coaches have recruited players away from Penn State in those 16 years by telling them, “The old man will leave before you do.” I’m sure that many have and still do today. So think about this, JoePa is the only Big Ten head coach today who held the same title when I left Penn State.
There are certain accomplishments in sports that defy rationale explanation. I can say without hesitance that 400 wins in college football is one of them. It’s an accomplishment beyond comprehension. And it needs to be celebrated as such.
We can argue forever whether Joe has stuck around too long. Personally, I believe he has and said so last year. Alas, that’s an argument for another day. Today is a day to recognize and celebrate one of the truly great men in the history of sports.
As a Penn State alumnus, I feel a personal connection to Paterno. That makes me one of about half a million people who can say that same thing. As silly as it seems, Joe Paterno is Penn State.
I only met him once, a meeting that lasted about five seconds. I was walking south on campus on game day, Joe was walking north to the stadium. Think about that in and of itself. The legendary head coach was walking through the center of campus on game day just like every other student. I can’t imagine bumping in to Rich Rodriguez like that at Michigan.
Joe saw me, made eye contact and said “hello.” I said “good luck today coach.” He said “thank you.” It was a silly nothing moment; one that young freshmen will never forget.
When you see Joe Paterno on campus, you don’t feel like you met a legend. He’s just a nice guy from State College who happens to have coached the football team for 45 years. I’m not naïve enough to think that Joe does not have plenty of power; or that he does not use it to his advantage from time to time. So do most of the tenured professors
Again, this man has coached 45 years at Penn State won 400 games. I take great pride in my ability to express myself through words; yet I find my words are wholly inadequate to express the magnitude of this accomplishment.
I have actually read comments where people suggest he’s won that many games only because he hung around so long. Let’s consider the absurdity of that premise.
First, if it was so easy to last 45 years in coaching…at one school…there would be more than one man in the history of Division 1 football who has done it. Most coaches are happy to last five to ten years. In my lifetime, Pitt has never had a coach reach ten years on the job. If they don’t win enough they get fired. If they win too much they run to greener pastures or retire. We celebrate the likes of Nick Saban; even as he has bailed on three other programs.
Second, even if you argue that Joe has unparalleled job security, he earned it by averaging over 9 wins per season, for 45 years! That includes four undefeated seasons, two national champions (officially) and not a single losing season until the late 80s. And remember, this was not Bill Guthrie taking over a legendary North Carolina program from Dean Smith. Penn State was pretty much irrelevant in college football before JoePa arrived.
You could say that Joe built the Penn State program. I would say that Joe is the Penn State program.
I ate in the same dining hall as many of the football players. Everyone knew who they were. You could not miss Kyle Brady or Ki-Jana Carter on campus. They never acted like football stars; they acted like regular Penn State students. That’s what Joe demands of them. His players graduate at rates amongst the highest in division 1 football and for the most part comport themselves as good citizens. In comparison to the cesspool that often is major college football, the Nittany Lions are angels.
Again, I’m not naïve enough to pretend there have been no off the field issues. Joe can set and enforce rules but he can not force 95 college men to act perfectly all the time. No coach can, just as no parent can. That’s life.
And I’m sure that from time to time, Joe has allowed a star player more latitude than a back-up or regular student would get. I say that even though I remember Bobby Engram being suspended for his entire freshmen season and Curtis Enis and Joe Jeruvicious being suspended from a bowl game.
Joe Paterno is not perfect, as a person or coach. And we don’t ask him to be.
Still, how does Joe compare to Urban Meyer, whose players continually end up on the police blotter and then right back on the field. How does he compare to Tom Osborne who sold out all of his principles and beliefs to win a national championship, a championship that he stole from Paterno? How does he compare to Rodriguez or Pete Carroll?
This is a man who has never sold out his core principles, a man who never made football more than what it is. Yes I’m frustrated by what I consider the relative mediocrity of the program the last decade. And yet I’ll take that in a second over selling out Penn State principles to try and win another national championship.
Think again about those astonishing 400 wins. Now add 6 national championships. Joe has two but he could just as easily have six. This is a man who has presided over four undefeated teams that were denied a national title in college football’s mythical sham of a championship system. And people wonder why I hate the BCS so much?
The funny part is, I think the 1994 debacle bothers me more than it does Joe. I’m still bitter and angry about it to this day. I get the feeling Joe dealt with it and moved on. That may have been the greatest offense in college football history. They would have put up 50 on the Thug Huskers if given the chance. Sadly they never were.
Such is life I guess.
I’ve spent the last 16 years lamenting the national championship that was stolen from us my senior year. Joe Paterno has spent the last 16 years molding kids in to men. I wonder how many kids he’s effected; I wonder how many he’s been a father figure to. Honestly, the numbers are likely too staggering to contemplate.
Just like 400 wins.
Joe Paterno has spent his entire adult life at Penn State. He never left for more money, his dream job or the NFL. He has worked for far less money than most division 1 star coaches, and donated a great deal of it to the University. There are countless stories from regular students about some way Joe impacted their lives.
He does not brag about this; does not act holier than thou. He just lives his life the same way he has for nearly 60 years in Happy Valley.
He has two black marks against him; staying on a bit too long and playing some role in ending the Pitt and Penn State rivalry. If those are the two worst things we can say about this man in 45 years of coaching, that’s not too bad. It’s a lot better than, “reinstated a player who dragged his girlfriend down the steps by her hair.” Strictly hypothetical of course.
I know I’m biased here. I can’t help it. I’m a Nittany Lion through and through. I have no reservations in saying that Joe Paterno is one of the most remarkable human beings in the history of sports.
I’m not ashamed to say that I had tears in my eyes as I watched the man we affectionately call JoePa celebrate his 400th victory on Saturday. I’m guessing I was not alone in the Nittany Nation. It was an emotional day, the magnitude of which we may never fully appreciate.
I fervently believe that it is time for JoePa to retire. I know that its time for the program to move forward, that it needs an infusion of youth, vigor and new ideas. And yet even as I say that I can not imagine Penn State without him. Not just Penn State football, Penn State University. There are so few constants in this world. For 45 years, Joe Paterno on the Penn State sideline has been one of them.
I offer my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to Joseph Vincent Paterno on a remarkable accomplishment and a remarkable career. For the Glory….
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