Joe Paterno Dies: How Will the Legend Stack Up Against Other Big Ten Greats?

Although yesterday's reporting of Joe Paterno's death was premature, this morning we have confirmation from the Paterno family that Joe Paterno has passed away from lung cancer. He was 85 years old and had spent the last 61 years of his life coaching in some capacity for Penn State.

The best story I can recall about Paterno's history comes from Beano Cook on the ESPNU college football podcast. It's been told multiple times, but most recently on the Jan. 18 podcast:

When Paterno had finished his playing days at Brown University, his initial intent was to go to law school. When he was offered a coaching job at State College, he asked his father if he could try coaching first and then return to law school.

His father asked Joe: "Do you think you can make a difference there?"

He indicated that he thought he could, and the rest was history.

There's little doubt Paterno made a decision that positively shaped the lives of thousands of players and other students that day, although he probably had little clue the job would last 61 years. Paterno made a difference, which is all his father wanted from his son's life.

So how will Paterno stack up against other Big Ten coaching greats when the history books are written in the future? His achievements on the field are hard to compare to other greats, but we will give it a try.

Let's begin with coaching wins. Paterno will hold the record over all Division I-A or FBS coaches for wins in a career thanks to outlasting Bobby Bowden by a couple of seasons. He obviously leads the list for Big Ten coaches as well, although his Big Ten numbers are limited by the number of years Penn State was in the conference:

[Note that all of these numbers come from NationalChamps.net, and that Nebraska and pre-Paterno coaches at Penn State have not been considered]

Coaching Wins (Minimum 100)

Joe Paterno (Penn State, 1960-2011): 409 wins (162 during time in Big Ten)
Woody Hayes (Ohio State, 1951-1978): 205 wins
Bo Schembechler (Michigan, 1969-1989): 194 wins
Fielding Yost (Michigan, 1901-1926): 165 wins
Hayden Fry (Iowa, 1979-1998): 143 wins
Doc Williams (Minnesota, 1900-1921): 136 wins
Robert Zuppke (Illinois, 1913-1941): 131 wins
Lloyd Carr (Michigan, 1995-2007): 122 wins
Barry Alvarez (Wisconsin, 1990-2005): 118 wins
John Cooper (Ohio State, 1988-2000): 111 wins
Hugh Daugherty (Michigan State, 1954-1972): 109 wins
Jim Tressel (Ohio State, 2001-2010): 106 wins

Even if his time in the Big Ten is the only part considered, Paterno would rank only behind three coaching legends at Michigan and Ohio State. But he makes even Woody and Bo look silly when you consider the total wins.

This is a record that very likely will stand forever, as coaches simply do not last 10 years anymore let alone 45. If nothing else, we will always remember the wins chase between Bowden and Paterno that ended with JoePa above everyone else.

The next statistic is a related one, but perhaps far more important. Even mediocre coaches can rack up wins if given enough time, but winning percentage shows just how dominant a coach was during his tenure. Unlike overall wins, Paterno does not lead this race:

Winning Percentage (minimum 10 seasons, 65 percent)

Fielding Yost (Michigan, 1901-1926): 83.2 percent
Jim Tressel (Ohio State, 2001-2010): 82.8 percent
Bo Schembechler (Michigan, 1969-1989): 79.6 percent
Doc Williams (Minnesota, 1900-1921): 78.6 percent
Woody Hayes (Ohio State, 1951-1978): 76.1 percent
Lloyd Carr (Michigan, 1995-2007): 75.3 percent
Joe Paterno (Penn State, 1960-2011): 74.7 percent
Bernie Bierman (Minnesota, 1932-1950): 71.6 percent
John Cooper (Ohio State, 1988-2000): 71.5 percent
John Wilce (Ohio State, 1913-1928): 68.8 percent
Jack Mollenkipf (Purdue, 1956-1969): 67.0 percent

Not surprisingly, this list is loaded with Ohio State and Michigan coaches. However, anything near or above 75 percent is astounding when taking into account how difficult it is to keep a program at a level above peers year after year.

This list also reveals the greatness of Minnesota football in the first half of the 20th century. It would be great to see that program move back up into the ranks of the elite, but recruiting athletes to come play in cold Minneapolis is a difficult task now.

Considering those same recruiting problems plague coaches in State College, Penn., the modern accomplishment of Joe Paterno is even more impressive. There is absolutely no shame coming in seventh on a list with names like Yost, Schembechler, Hayes, Carr and Tressel.

Coaches are defined by more than just wins, though, as championships is what they are hired to bring to the programs they lead. When considering the highest honor of a National Championship, Paterno is in a small group of Big Ten coaches that brought the title home multiple times:

National Championships

Fielding Yost (Michigan, 1901-1926): Six
Woody Hayes (Ohio State, 1951-1978): Five
Bernie Bierman (Minnesota, 1932-1950): Five
Robert Zuppke (Illinois, 1913-1941): Four
Joe Paterno (Penn State, 1960-2011): Four (one during time in Big Ten)

Although a couple of these championships are disputed at these schools, including at Penn State, obtaining the National Championship from any poll is an achievement to put in the school trophy case. Paterno last had an undefeated season and a split national title in 1994 in just the second year of Big Ten play.

Considering the recent dearth of national championships in the conference (only Michigan in 1997 and Ohio State in 2002 since Paterno's last), there will not be many to join these five coaching legends with four national titles.

Although perhaps not holding the same prestige as a national championship, Big Ten conference championships are available every season and bring bragging rights directly over other conference schools. In this one category, Paterno falls short, but only because the majority of his successful years came before his time in the Big Ten:

Big Ten Conference Championships

Bo Schembechler (Michigan, 1969-1989): 13
Woody Hayes (Ohio State, 1951-1978): 13
Fielding Yost (Michigan, 1901-1926): 10
Doc Williams (Minnesota, 1900-1921): Eight
Jim Tressel (Ohio State, 2001-2010): Seven
Robert Zuppke (Illinois, 1913-1941): Seven
Bernie Bierman (Minnesota, 1932-1950): Six
Lloyd Carr (Michigan, 1995-2007): Five
Joe Paterno (Penn State, 1960-2011): Three
Hayden Fry (Iowa, 1979-1998): Three
Barry Alvarez (Wisconsin, 1990-2005): Three
John Cooper (Ohio State, 1988-2000): Three

Again, it should come as no surprise that Schembechler, Hayes and Yost lead this list of conference championships. One would guess that Paterno would have also been close to achieving 10 conference championships while knocking Hayes and Schembechler down a couple apiece had he been in the conference during his entire tenure.

Although not listed here, Paterno also holds the records in all of college football for bowl appearances (37) and bowl wins (24). According to ESPN, only six other teams in college football have more than 24 bowl victories. Paterno will likely hold this record forever as well.

As can be seen, Paterno will always find himself right in the top 10 of the major coaching statistics that define historical greatness in the Big Ten conference. His legend and his positive impact on the Penn State University and its students cannot be understated.

Just like Alabama's coaching legend, Bear Bryant, JoePa is gone a mere nine weeks after coaching his last game. Just like Bryant, that is far too soon to lose such a legend. On behalf of my fellow contributors at B/R, we extend our condolences to the Paterno family and the Penn State family.

Rest in peace, Joe. Your record speaks for itself and puts you among the greatest coaches in Big Ten conference history.