Iconic figure spent 46 years as head coach at Penn State
By Tony Mancuso, GoPSUsports.com
UNIVERSITY PARK – Joseph Vincent Paterno was assigned the responsibility of coaching the quarterbacks at Penn State by head coach Rip Engle on May 27, 1950.
More than 61 years later, the Penn State community and sports world lost a legend who made a tremendous impact on the football program, University, town and sport on Sunday morning.
Few men were more passionate about coaching college football than Joe Paterno. Coaching with class, merit and success with honor, Coach Paterno directed the Nittany Lion football program for nearly 46 years.
He embarked on a “Grand Experiment” of leading student-athletes who were able to play football, graduate, and then contribute to society.
The education pillar always came first from a man who received his degree in the IVY League at Brown. Coach Paterno wanted the student-athletes he coached to thrive on the gridiron, but more importantly in life after football by earning a degree from Penn State. His former players would be the first to tell you that when they walked onto campus as boys, Coach Paterno turned them into successful men.
Playing football for Joe Paterno was only a small facet of being a member on the roster of his teams. That’s why thousands of his athletes went on to become professionals, educators, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs and more.
On the field, the Hall of Fame head coach erected a blueprint for success on the gridiron. For decades, the Penn State football program became a benchmark of winning the right way. Ultra-competitive, the all-time leader in Division I victories had a portfolio that included national championships in 1982 and 1986; five undefeated, untied teams; 23 finishes in the Top 10 of the national rankings; 36 bowl appearances and 24 bowl victories.
His 409 career victories and the duration of his stint in Happy Valley are things that will likely never be touched again. Spending 46 seasons as a head coach in one place is unheard of in modern college football.
Football is all Coach Paterno knew, though. He publicly said that he didn’t have any other hobbies. He didn’t want to play golf or go fishing.
Coach Paterno paced on the East sideline of Beaver Stadium for 46 seasons because that is the only place he wanted to be.
During his tenure on the staff, Coach Paterno missed just three games in 61-plus years. As an assistant coach, he missed the 1955 game at Army when his father, Angelo, died. As head coach in 1977, Joe and Sue Paterno’s son, David, was involved in a serious trampoline accident the day before the Lions’ game at Syracuse and Paterno did not attend the contest. Coach Paterno missed the Nov. 11, 2006 game with Temple, which took place five days after he had surgery on his left leg, which was injured in a sideline collision at Wisconsin on Nov. 4.
Family and football, in that order, meant everything to Coach Paterno. His office desk inside the Lasch Building did not have a computer. Instead it was filled with pictures of all 17 of his grandchildren. He and Sue have five children – Diana, Jay, Mary Kay, David and Scott.
His dedication to the football program personified his love for Penn State University. No one loved Penn State more than Joe Paterno. That’s a big reason why he and wife Sue donated millions of dollars to the school, including large financial contributions to help build the Paterno Library and Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, among others.
Penn State University would not be the same place it is today without Coach Paterno.
The Paterno family has lived in the same modest house on McKee Street in State College for decades. When driving past, onlookers would have no idea that a Hall of Fame head coach resided inside. And he didn’t want it any other way. He was among the most generous individuals in the community and never sought any attention from the media.
In addition to his influence on thousands of student-athletes and the University, Coach Paterno was a giant in the coaching community. The outpouring of statements released by his peers in the coaching world on Sunday speaks volumes about the respect he garnered in the coaching fraternity.
He was just as influential within the high school coaching world. On a personal level, several family members were among the thousands of high school coaches who attended clinics led by Coach Paterno. Always willing to go the extra mile to answer questions and provide guidance, he was a teacher to thousands.
Coach Paterno was the type of person who could strike up a conversation with anyone on just about anything. He could tell stories for hours because quite literally, he had seen just about everything the sports world has to offer. Some of the best Coach Paterno recollections came during Friday night impromptu off-the-record sessions with the traveling beat reporters at road games.
From nearly coming to blows on a recruiting trip with current ESPN historian Beano Cook in 1957, who at the time was a sports publicist for Pitt, to his attempt at guarding former Boston Celtics great Bob Cousy on the basketball court to Vince Lombardi, Coach Paterno had a story or joke for any topic you could imagine.
Regrettably, Coach Paterno did not finish his coaching career in the manner he or anyone else had expected, but his coaching legacy in Happy Valley and around the nation will live on forever.
His impact on the lives of the thousands of players he coached, students who attended Penn State University and millions of college football fans across the country is truly immeasurable.
Joe Paterno was one of a kind.
A collection of famous quotes from the coaching icon.
“Besides pride, loyalty, discipline, heart, and mind, confidence is the key to all the locks.”
“When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality.”
“Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won’t taste good.”
“Losing a game is heartbreaking. Losing your sense of excellence or worth is a tragedy.”
“You need to play with supreme confidence, or else you’ll lose again, and then losing becomes a habit.”
“The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.”
“Believe deep down in your heart that you’re destined to do great things.”
“You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That’s the mark of a true professional.”
“Publicity is like poison; it doesn’t hurt unless you swallow it.”
“It’s the name on the front of the jersey that matters most, not the one on the back.”
“They ask me what I’d like written about me when I’m gone. I hope they write I made Penn State a better place, not just that I was a good football coach.”