Penn State's Joe Paterno: Behind the Glasses

Most of the college football universe has already remarked that Urban Meyer and Nick Saban can only be rivaled by each other, but that isn't entirely accurate. Long before Meyer and Saban picked up a whistle, Joe Paterno was drawing X's and O's in the dirt, teaching boys how to be men.

He's already been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, which is a great benchmark to prove Paterno has withstood the tests of time. He still smiles when he arrives at work every day, affectionately referred to as "Joe Pa." Students greet him as "Coach" when he strolls about campus.

Why does he smile? Well, because he can. His integrity has remained intact since taking over for his mentor Rip Engle in 1966, 44 (count 'em) years ago. If you count his time as Engle's assistant, he has prowled the grounds of University Park for almost 60 years.

Despite the job offers from the likes of the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and longtime rival Michigan, Paterno has remained loyal to the oldest state college in the country. For the elder coach it has never been about the money:

("I'm paid well, I'm not overpaid...", "I got all the money I need.")

He remains content to coach for the university that loves him and the one he proudly embraces in return.

Whether it be his wife Sue, privately tutoring players in his own home, or Joe Pa mentoring eager minds in the game of football, giving back to the community, raising money for local charities, or donating a fortune to the university library, Paterno finds a way to maintain his sense of honor and that of Penn State.

He has inspired hundreds of thousands, if not millions, including students, fans, coaches and players over the last 60 years, with his quick wit and matter-of-fact euphemisms, as he compared life to football, and vice versa.

“Besides pride, loyalty, discipline, heart, and mind, confidence is the key to all the locks.”

Among Division I players, he built a reputation as a staunch disciplinarian, enforcing strict curfews and lofty expectations for grades.

The Nittany Lion team has for the most part kept its integrity intact as off-field shenanigans have been and are always are dealt with severely. Only recently in his 44 year career has Paterno been scrutinized for choosing winning over example, when two players were allowed to play despite accusations of fighting. That's still a fine record compared to other elite programs.

He has taken a good deal of criticism from a cornucopia of reporters, fans, alumni and fellow coaches for his dedication to his athletes' educational well-being, but to his credit it never prevented him from producing one of the nation's highest percentages for player graduation.

 

How does Joe Paterno's resume stack up? With that kind of reputation his record must really be in the doghouse right?

Well, Joe Pa is the longest tenured head coach actively coaching in the NCAA, with two national championships and three conference championships under his belt and nearly two dozen coaching trophies, but that doesn't really tell the story of his accomplishments in coaching. His win/loss record speaks for itself, as this year he will likely surpass his former colleague Bobby Bowden as the nation's winningest coach.

Since 1966, his Nittany Lions have appeared in 36 bowls and won 24 of those. He has accumulated an impressive record of 394 wins, 129 losses and 3 ties. That's an average of nine wins a year, coupled with a 98 percent chance of going bowling.

"We're going to work and try to get the right combination and maybe one of these days, we'll walk off the field and say 'I think we are a good football team.”

It has been and remains this humble mentality that has been the wood and glue of Paterno's success.

His wife has supported him through it all as well. Her earliest and most repeated story is of her advising Joe to roll up the pantlegs of his wool trousers because he muddied up the bottoms on the field, and how she talked him into walking home after practice to leave the stress of his job on the field.

Rumor has it, those who entered Joe Pa's program as uncouth individuals with unpolished manners had to undergo an etiquette evaluation before they played their first game.

The fact of the matter is this: they don't make them like Joe anymore, or Sue.

Joe signed a three-year deal on his contract extension so we can at least expect two more years from Joe Pa, but as soon as he sneezes or coughs, the press will have both of his feet in the grave again, or his new glasses busy working crossword puzzles by the pool of some Florida retirement community again.

Today Joe Pa carries on much the same way when he chased after Coach Engle. He's a little slower these days. There's a bit of a hitch in his "giddy-up", but you wouldn't know it by his attention to details.

"If you take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves."

On a field of dew-laden grass, a clipboard is a fixture in those two wrinkled hands. Joe is identifying something important. He points and mumbles at an offensive tackle that missed a piece of real estate, then looks back down at the clipboard and chuckles before sending an assistant to advise the young behemoth.

Another assistant approaches him with a play card; Joe Pa points at several areas and the assistant runs off at warp speed. Before departing practice, he has advised and touched almost every aspect of this edition of the Nittany Lions.

As he walks away, he converses with an assistant before another approaches him, pointing at an open folder and gestures off into the distance. Joe turns on his heels to take care of one last thing before returning home to Sue.

Special thanks to Penn State alum, Reid Baker, for his insight on Joe Paterno.