By Taylor McGillis, Staff Writer
Joe Paterno, the face of Penn State University for 46 years, died of lung cancer Sunday, Jan. 22 at the age of 85. As head coach at Penn State, Paterno amassed more victories than any other man in the history of major college football and garnered a reputation as the epitome of integrity. His legacy, however, took a tragic turn in the fall of last year, when shocking allegations emerged against one of his long-time assistant coaches.
As a coach and mentor, Paterno was unrivaled. The Brooklyn native was known not only for developing quality players, but for cultivating quality young men. Paterno coached five Nittany Lions squads to undefeated seasons and earned two national championships. His 409 wins and 62 seasons at one university (including those as an assistant) both rank first in the history of Division I football. In 2007 he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
By his players, Paterno will be remembered as something of a father figure, who instilled them with discipline, honor, and a tireless work ethic. As the coach of all-time greats such as Lydell Mitchell, John Cappelletti, and Ki-Jana Carter, Paterno cemented his on-field legacy, but he will be remembered at Penn State for far more. Paterno’s philanthropic contributions to the university topped more than $4,000,000 and, in honor of he and his wife, the university renamed their recently expanded library the Paterno Library. Paterno was so revered that in 2001 a statue of him was placed on campus, forever leaving his mark on the Penn State University campus. The former coach’s legacy is so large in State College, Pennsylvania, that despite the ongoing investigation, shortly after Paterno’s passing Penn State President Rodney Erickson stated, “The University plans to honor [Paterno] for his many contributions and to remember his remarkable life and legacy.”
For all his successes and moments of triumph, in his most fateful hour, Paterno betrayed the very values he sought to instill in his players. When informed of the potential sexual assault of a minor in his own football locker room, Paterno did not demonstrate the integrity and courage that he had built the Penn State program around, failing to report the incident to police or confront the accused. The scandal led to Paterno’s ouster from his head coaching position in November and one can only speculate that the stress from the ordeal compounded his health issues and expedited his death.
