Penn State Football: 10 Football Things Joe Paterno Is Older Than

Joe Paterno is so old, he was around to see the formation of the forward pass. Paterno is so old, he was coaching cavemen to catch badgers. Paterno is so old, he was giving Vince Lombardi a lesson on coaching.

We have heard all kinds of jokes about Paterno's age. This season, Paterno will turn 85 years old, which inspires our curiosity in to what exactly Paterno is older than in the sport in which he has become an icon.

Contrary to popular opinion, Paterno is much younger than the forward pass, which was first recognized by the rules of football in 1863, a little more than 60 years before Paterno was born. Paterno was also born after the invention of the football helmet, so we can put that one to rest.

Here is a look at a number of things in football that are younger than Paterno.

Kevin McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com. Follow his college football discussion on Twitter @KevinOnCFB.

The SEC

The Southeastern Conference was formed in 1932, six years after Paterno was born. Paterno is also older than the ACC (1953), Pac-10/12 (1959), WAC (1962), Sun Belt Conference (1976), Big East (1979), Conference USA (1995), Big 12 (1996) and Mountain West Conference (1999).

He is also older than the Ivy League (1954). Paterno played his college football at Brown University, where he still holds various school records.

Paterno's current conference, the Big Ten, was formed in 1896, although at the time it was formed, it was called the Western Conference and had eight teams. When Iowa joined in 1899, the name was changed to Big Nine.

The conference became the Big Ten in 1917 when Michigan rejoined the conference. The name changed back to Big Nine after Paterno was born, and Chicago discontinued its football program in 1939 and withdrew from the conference in 1946. The Big Ten named continued with the addition of Michigan State in 1949.

The Sugar Bowl

The Sugar Bowl was first played on Jan. 1, 1935, between Tulane and Temple. At the time, Paterno was eight years old.

Paterno eventually took Penn State to three Sugar Bowl appearances in the 1970s before winning one. Paterno's first Sugar Bowl victory was a memorable one though, defeating top-ranked Georgia for the 1982 season national championship.

Penn State has not returned to the Sugar Bowl since.

The Two-Point Conversion

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 04: D.J. Williams #45 of the Arkansas Razorbacks reaches for the goaline to score on a two-point conversion in the third quarter against Jermale Hines #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana

College football invented the two-point conversion by officially adopting it in 1958, two years before the American Football League included it in their rules to separate their league from the NFL at the time.

While it took the NFL a long time to come around to the idea of the two-point conversion, they did experiment with it in NFL Europe as early as 1991. The league finally adopted the rule for their own league in 1994.

What would a 22-year-old Paterno have thought about the rule? He was already taking on the role of an assistant coach at the time.

Beaver Stadium

Beaver Stadium officially opened its doors in 1960, Paterno's 10th season as an assistant coach of Penn State.

Since opening, Beaver Stadium has undergone seven separate expansions to create one of the largest stadiums in the country. Many memorable games have been played there through the years, and a collection of great players have played on the field, both for and against Penn State.

But Paterno has remained the one constant on the Penn State sideline.

ESPN

Today, ESPN is a major player in college football coverage. Through mega deals to broadcast Big Ten, SEC, Big East, Big 12, ACC and more, ESPN has built a solid college football reputation through pre- and post-game coverage to supplement live games across an expanding network.

ESPN was formed in 1979, Paterno's 13th season as head coach at Penn State.

The television itself was researched as early as the late 1800s, and by the late 1920s, televisions were available commercially. You could make a case that Paterno is older than the TV itself.

Hard Helmets

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

NEW ORLEANS - OCTOBER 24: A helmet of the Cleveland Browns sits on the turf during pregame before playing the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome on October 24, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Football helmets were around when Joe Paterno was born, but the plastic helmets did not start to be developed until 1939. That year, Riddell looked to make safer helmets for football players, and by the mid-1950s, the plastic helmets were becoming mandated by leagues such as the NFL.

The face mask was first recommended for players in 1955.

The Orange Bowl

Al Bello/Getty Images

MIAMI - JANUARY 4: Head coach Joe Paterno of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates with his team after defeating the Florida State Seminoles in the FedEx Orange Bowl on January 4, 2006 at Dolphins Stadium in Miami, Florida. Penn State defeated Florida

The Orange Bowl was first played Jan. 1, 1935, between Bucknell and Miami. Like the Sugar Bowl, it would be a long time before Penn State made an appearance. It did not take as long for Penn State to pick up a win in the bowl game though, compared to the Sugar Bowl.

Penn State won their first two trips to the Orange Bowl in 1969 and 1970. A third straight victory came in 1974 against LSU, but a championship loss to Oklahoma left Penn State licking their wounds in 1986. Penn State rebounded with a Fiesta Bowl victory against Miami in 1987.

Penn State's lone trip to the Orange Bowl since joining the Big Ten ended with a triple-overtime victory over Florida State in the 2006 game.

USA Today

USA Today became the official publisher of the coaches poll in 1991, but Paterno is also older than the publication itself.

USA Today was founded in 1982, the first season in which Paterno won the national championship. That season, the publishing rights to the coaches poll belonged to United Press. USA Today shared the rights with CNN until ESPN took over from CNN as co-sponsor in 1997.

AFCA National Championship Trophy

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

EUGENE, OR - NOVEMBER 06: The AFCA National Championship Trophy is displayed on the the field before the game between the Oregon Ducks and the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium on November 6, 2010 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

The AFCA National Championship Trophy was first awarded to Penn State following their victory in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl against Miami. It was awarded annually to the champions of the BCS and is presented by the American Football Coaches Association.

The Waterford crystal football has been hoisted by championship players and coaches since it became a part of college football in 1986. The trophy is contractually tied to the BCS format and has become a trophy worth gazing upon by fans all over.

Nebraska, Miami and Florida are tied for the most trophies, with three each. Alabama, LSU and Florida State each have won it twice. Penn State is one of 10 programs with one trophy in their trophy case, with Notre Dame, Ohio State, Auburn, USC and Texas among others.

The State of Hawaii

Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

HONOLULU - SEPTEMBER 02: Ronald Johnson #83 of the University of Southern California Trojans is taken down by Po'okela Ahmad #40 of the University of Hawaii Warriors during first half action against the University of Southern California Trojans at Aloha S

Joe Paterno may be older than the official state of Hawaii, which joined the union in 1959, but he is not older than Hawaii's football program. The Warriors date back to 1909. Hawaii's first intercollegiate victory came in 1920, after the school officially became a university. The Warriors lost to Nevada 14-0 in the game.

Hawaii scored their first major upset in 1923 with a win against Oregon State. Rainbows in the skies caused local reporters to nickname Hawaii's football team the Rainbow, one that stuck until 2001 when they changed from Rainbow Warriors to just Warriors.

Penn State has never played Hawaii.