COMMENTARY | The football world was saddened Sunday by the passing of legendary coach Joe Paterno. The 85-year old former Penn State coach died on Sunday after a long battle with lung cancer. Paterno won more games, 409, than any other coach in college football history. Sadly, his tenure at Penn State was cut short by the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal last year. Though Paterno was not directly involved, he was believed to have withheld knowledge from the university.
Paterno’s passing certainly leaves a void in the pantheon of college football coaches. He will be remembered for his wins and his two national championships in 1982 and 1986, but way he was dismissed from the university didn’t do justice to his legacy. Penn State appeared to have acted too swiftly, and without the proper respect for the coach. There is no way to justify why Paterno opted not to act on the information he was provided with but as an “old timer” and an “old school” style coach, it wasn’t his way. His way was wrong, but Penn State should have waited until the end of the season to act, either by firing him or perhaps strongly encouraging Paterno to resign/retire.
Paterno was a phenomenal coach and his passing so shortly after his dismissal really shows that coaching really was everything to Paterno. No doubt Paterno had more to live for, but it appears that football was his life. Once football was gone, Paterno didn’t have as much to live for.
The best way to remember “JoePa” is to remember how many players we coached throughout the years and how many succeeded due to his coaching. Paterno was the AP coach of the year in 2005 when he led Penn State to a Big Ten title and a BCS berth. He was Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1986 after winning a national championship. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 as they changed their own rules to allow him entrance despite the fact he was not retired. Besides his tangible awards, Paterno was a principal in getting instant replay introduced to college football.
Joe Paterno may be gone, but his legacy will never be forgotten.
Source: CNN Staff, Legendary Penn State coach Paterno dead at 85, CNN.com