Joe Paterno's Greatest Moments with Penn State Football

Most Penn State fans will be worried about Houston's offense tomorrow.

But wait.

Before the Joe Paterno era is officially ended and a new coach is ushered into the Penn State family, appreciative fans want to take a glimpse of the man who made the Nittany Lions a national powerhouse.

Many of these moments have been forgotten in the big scheme of things. Most fans look to the national championships of 1982 and 1986 as the peak of the program's success, but smaller instances reinforced the mainstream relevance of the program even in lean years.

So, to resume an earlier evaluation of Paterno's career, we will glance at the victories within the victories—the game that made Joe the hometown hero.

1968 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Team

In Joe Pa's third season at the helm, the then-Independent Nittany Lions finished 11-0 with a second-ranked finish.

Wins over Ranked Teams: No. 6 Kansas, 15-14 (Orange Bowl)

Opponent	Rank	Final
Navy	10	31-6
Kansas State	4	25-9
at West Virginia	3	31-20
at UCLA	3	21-6
at Boston College	4	29-0
Army	4	28-24
Miami (FL)	4	22-7
at Maryland	3	57-13
at Pittsburgh	3	65-9
Syracuse	3	30-12
vs. No. 6 Kansas	3	15-14
	2	Record: 11-0

Ohio State did have a momentous come-from-behind victory over USC in the Rose Bowl. Given this was the pre-BCS era, the matchup was significant for actually taking place between No. 1 and 2 teams.

Like the Boise State of their time, though, Penn State does deserve credit as a legitimate squad that year. The Broncos and Nittany Lions both pulverized weaker competition and squeaked out victories against ranked opponents. Oh, yeah—it was also Penn State's first undefeated season in roughly 50 years.

1969 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Team

"I'd like to know how the President could know so little about Watergate in 1973 and so much about college football in 1969."—Joe Paterno

Wins over Ranked Teams: No. 17 West Virginia 20-0 (Homecoming), No. 6 Missouri (Orange Bowl)

Opponent	Rank	Final
at Navy	3	45-22
Colorado	2	27-3
at Kansas State	2	17-14
No. 17 West Virginia	5	20-0
at Syracuse	5	15-14
Ohio	8	42-3
Boston College	5	38-16
Maryland	5	48-0
at Pittsburgh	4	27-7
at North Carolina State	3	33-8
vs. No. 6 Missouri	2	10-3
	2	Record: 11-0

This year Penn State grabbed the longest winning streak in the country and in school history, triumphing in 22 straight outings.

Unfortunately, Darell Royal's Texas Longhorns captured the national title by winning the 1969 Game of the Century.

Another unscathed record leads to another unrecognized team.

1973: John Cappelletti Wins the Heisman Trophy

By his eighth year on the job, Joe Paterno was already a living legend. Having already garnered three undefeated and untied seasons, Penn State was becoming a well-known football force.

A quintessential example of such acknowledgement came in his third perfect season of 1973. Running John Cappelletti won the Nittany Lions' first Heisman Trophy.

The clean persona of the Penn State program was epitomized in Cappelletti's selfless Heisman acceptance speech, when he dedicated the award to his cancer-ridden little brother Joey.

Wins over Ranked Teams: No. 20 Pittsburgh, No. 13 LSU (Orange Bowl)

Opponents	Rank	Final
at Stanford	7	20-6
at Navy	7	39-0
Iowa	6	27-8
at Air Force	7	19-9
Army	7	54-3
at Syracuse	5	49-6
West Virginia	5	62-14
at Maryland	6	42-22
North Carolina State	6	35-29
Ohio	6	49-10
No. 20 Pittsburgh	6	35-13
vs. No. 13 LSU	6	16-9
	5	12-0

Side Note: Penn State's six-point victory came against a NC State team coached by Lou Holtz.

Pitt-Penn State Rivalry

In the late '70s, Joe Paterno's autonomy in Pennsylvania was challenged by Pitt. For a decade, the Lions and Panthers mauled each other's national title hopes. The rivalry brought much attention and reverence for both squads; Penn State won a national title in 1982 (and played for several others), while Pitt boasted running back Tony Dorsett, future NFL quarterback Dan Marino and a 1976 championship trophy.

Joe Pa made it well known that he disrespected his rival from Pitt, head coach Jackie Sherrill. Joe Pa made it well known that he didn't want college football's morals going "to the Barry Switzers and Jackie Sherrills." While Joe Pa initially apologized to Switzer, it would be three decades before Paterno recanted his statement about Sherrill.

Perhaps the greatest shocker in the pugilistic performances came in 1981, when Penn State usurped the first-ranked Panthers 48-14. It would be Pitt's only loss of the year.

But not too long later, the Lions of Penn State would own the national stage alone.

1982: First National Championship

By the 1980s, Joe Paterno was among the most successful coaches in sports. In 1982, the coach had his 11th 10-win season and the Nittany Lions were facing tougher schedules annually.

The Nittany Lions played six ranked teams, including four Top Five squads. The lone blemish on the season was a blowout loss to Alabama at Legion Field.

The ironic truth is that Penn State likely did not deserve the title. In 1998, Penn State tight end Mike McCloskey admitted that the game-winning catch he had made against then second-ranked Nebraska did not count. He had gone out of bounds. In the era before instant replay, there was no review of plays by the officials.

Nevertheless, the '82 team (led by quarterback and current ESPN analyst Todd Blackledge) took down Vince Dooley's undefeated Georgia Bulldogs and their star running back Herschel Walker in the 1983 Sugar Bowl.

Joe Pa's First Victory over Alabama

During the Bear Bryant era, Joe Pa had never been able to defeat the bastion of the Bible Belt.

Most notably, Penn State had lost to Alabama in the 1979 Sugar Bowl. The Crimson Tide's stout defense had shut the Lions out of the end zone. A last-gasp attempt to tie the game with Bryant's suffocating squad was prevented, and Alabama triumphed 14-7.

But Bear Bryant had now gone, and Alabama had gone through a transition phase. Despite such adjustments, the Tide visited Beaver Stadium as the third-ranked team in America.

This time the Nittany Lions survived the Tide, as a 34-7 romp whittled to a 34-28 escape. The victory was a game-changer for the '83 Nittany Lion team. The defending national champions had started the year 0-3, and were 2-3 before facing Ray Perkins' troops.

Penn State would later upset No. 4 West Virginia en route to a 8-4-1 season.

1986: Paterno Is Sportsman, and National Champion, of the Year

1986 was a landmark year for the Nittany Lions. For the first (and only) time, an undefeated team was named national champions.

The contrast between the straight-and-narrow Paterno and lax disciplinarian Jimmy Johnson only fueled the fire for the 1986 national championship.

The Miami players came ready for war, dressed in military-style fatigues for a pregame dinner while Penn State came in ties and suits.

Penn State intercepted Miami's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde five times in a defensive game. In the most-watched game in college football history, Penn State triumphed in a rare No. 1 vs. No. 2 postseason matchup.

He also won the Sportsman of the Year Award. Not bad for Penn State's beloved coach.

1990: Joe Shows He's Back, Topples Top-Ranked Irish

Following the second national title, Penn State took a dive.

In 1988, the school had its first losing season since Paterno had taken over. 1989 had been a nice recovery season, but there was some sweeping up to do before Penn State could rejoin the ranks of the national elite.

The opportunity manifested itself on November 17, 1990. Entering South Bend, the team fought against Notre Dame. In '88, the Fighting Irish had been national champions, and had posted back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time in school history.

Lou Holtz and Company would be denied a shot for a second title in three years as a last-second field goal secured victory for the Nittany Lions. PSU would finish third in 1991, enough to prove that the Lion Pack were back.

Just in time to join a new conference...

1994: Penn State Beats Michigan En Route to Perfect Year

Penn State had succeeded its first two years in the Big Ten, but the aging Paterno got his team to break through the competition in 1994.

The Nittany Lions finished undefeated, but were voted second in the polls below Nebraska. The 1994 game against the fifth-ranked Michigan team, though, proved how thoroughly dominant the team was. By upsetting the perennial powerhouse, the '94 squad deserved for a national championship.

Unfortunately, 'twas not to be. Penn State hasn't gone undefeated since.

2002: The Advent of Instant Replay

After 1994, the team declined again. Preseason expectations were not met, especially when the Nittany Lions had been predicted to play in the national championship in 1997. The group dropped its last three regular-season games in 1999, costing them a shot at the national championship.

After a couple losing seasons, Penn State was on the upswing. An upset by the unranked Iowa Hawkeyes rankled Joe's temper early in the season. His complaints about how his team unfairly lost to Iowa in overtime caused the Big Ten to become the first conference to use instant replay to review the validity of officials' calls.

It is now used in every conference.

2005: Victory over OSU Brings Lions to BCS

Joe Pa and Penn State were in lean times. The Nittany Lions had posted losing records in four of the past five seasons, and Joe Pa sounded like he might be pressured into retirement if the team did not show significant signs of improvement.

Fortunately, Joe Pa was able to bring a losing outfit to the verge of a national championship.

The road to success started in Columbus. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel, and were quarterbacked by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith. Ohio State did not lose in the Horseshoe often, and were a Top 10 team even after losing to Texas.

Nevertheless, Penn State upset the conference favorite, and tied for its first Big Ten title since 1994—the Nittany Lions' last undefeated season.

Most importantly, the team stepped into the current age of college football; the team made its first-ever BCS appearance.

2011: Win No. 409

Joe Paterno continued the recent trend of success, surpassing Bobby Bowden and Eddie Robinson for the most wins in major college football history.

An epic comeback against Illinois secured Joe Pa's record-setting victory, and left Joe Pa back at the pinnacle of success. Penn State had won at least nine games a year since 2005, and shared a Big Ten title in 2008 to make a second BCS appearance.

It is truly a testament to Joe—in spite of his flaws—that he left Penn State the same way he found it: with consistent success.