Joe Paterno: A Timeline of His Legendary Rise and Turbulent End at Penn State

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Joe Paterno passed away this morning at the age of 85, according to Jack Carey of USA Today.

Paterno had a long and legendary career at Penn State, and no one won more games as a head coach of a Division I football program than JoePa did during his time with the Nittany Lions.

Unfortunately, his career had a tragic ending, and his last months were marred in controversy.

Let's take a look at the successes, triumphs and tragedies that Paterno experienced during his life.

Playing Career

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Paterno got involved with football at a young age growing up in Brooklyn, New York.

He served a year in the Army before attending Brown University and playing quarterback and cornerback for the Bears.

The young man recorded 14 interceptions in his career, a record he tied that still stands at the school.

He played from 1946 to 1949.

After graduation he joined Rip Engle, his college coach, on the Penn State coaching staff. This put him on the path to an illustrious career as a football coach.

Assistant at Penn State

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Everyone knows Joe Pa was the head coach of the Nittany Lions for 46 seasons, but it is often overlooked that he spent 15 seasons as an assistant with the team.

When he was dismissed in 2011, he spent a total of 62 seasons with the team, the most of any college football coach at any school in history.

He married his wife Sue in 1962 while an assistant at this time as well.

Named Head Coach

Photo Courtesy of Chicago Tribune

Engle loved working with Paterno and eventually named him his successor upon retiring after the 1965 season.

He accepted the job and began his legendary career in 1966, holding the same position until 2011.

Undefeated Seasons

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Shortly after starting his head coaching career, Paterno found success. His team went undefeated in 1968 and he won the AFCA Coach of the Year, although they were denied the national championship.

He had a second undefeated season a year later and again was passed over for the national title.

Paterno would repeat the feat of going undefeated and untied three more times in his career (1973, 1986 and 1994).

First National Title

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Paterno can lay to claim two national championships in the 1980s, and it proved he was a successful coach.

The Nittany Lions were the No. 1 team in the nation after the 1982 and 1986 seasons.

They knocked off the Georgia Bulldogs, 27-23, in the 1983 Sugar Bowl and were able to earn to their first consensus national championship.

Second National Title

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The 1987 Fiesta Bowl decided the prior year's title and Joe Paterno was victorious in the game.

They beat the No. 1 ranked Miami Hurricanes in Sun Devil Stadium in a nationally televised game to capture their second national title and last one of Paterno’s career. 

Joined the Big Ten

PSU joined the Big Ten in 1990 after being an independent program since 1892.

They began playing the conference schedule and were considered part of it starting in 1993.

It was a big leap for the program but Paterno navigated the team through just fine, winning his first conference championship in 1994, the last time they went undefeated.

Bowl Success

Paterno was always successful in postseason play and finished his career with a record of 24 wins, 12 losses and one tie in bowl games.

That’s a record for victories by a Division I coach.

The last bowl game PSU won was the 2010 Outback Bowl against the LSU Tigers. 

Master of the Regular Season

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JoePa dominated the regular season and had a career record of 409 wins, 136 losses and three ties.

That is the most victories by any coach in the history of D-I football.

Paterno consistently had a solid team and had not had a losing season since 2004. It was rare for the Nittany Lions to not be competitive up to his dismissal in 2011.

Scandal

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Unfortunately, Paterno's career had an ugly ending.

The Jerry Sandusky scandal rocked the program, and he was dismissed for his role in the handling of Mike McQueary's witness report back in 2002.

The board of trustees at the university had no choice but to relieve Paterno of his duties on Nov. 8 of 2011. It ended his incredible 46-year run as coach of the Nittany Lions. 

Passes Away

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Paterno succumbed to cancer at the age of 85 this morning, Jan. 22, 2012. He was diagnosed with lung cancer back in November of 2011, and he had a short battle with it before passing away.

Paterno leaves behind an incredible legacy based on his body of work, but has a questionable reputation depending on how people view his role in the Sandusky scandal.