Penn State Football: JoePa's Career Bucket List (Things to Do Before Retiring)
There is not much Joe Paterno has not accomplished in his long, storied career as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions.No coach has won more bowl games and more games at the FBS level. No coach has won the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl beside Paterno. He has had 274 players drafted in the NFL Draft, including 33 first-round selections and a pair of number one overall draft picks.
With this year being the final year on his current contract much will be made about the future of Paterno and Penn State football, but it does not appear that he is ready to step aside at the helm of the program.
We can respect that desire to compete in Paterno and the hope is that Paterno ultimately goes out a winner, whenever he chooses to do so. Here is a rundown of some things we would like to see Paterno do between now and whenever he retires, whether it be after this season or five seasons for now.
Kevin McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com. Follow his college football discussion on Twitter @CFBExaminer.
Win the Leaders Division
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This season marks the first year the Big Ten will operate under a division format, so this is new territory for all parties involved. Because nobody really knows how long Joe Paterno will be on the sidelines for Penn State it would be nice to see Paterno coach the Nittany Lions to at least one division championship.
Penn State is in the Big Ten's Leaders Division with Ohio State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue and Illinois. Ohio State and Illinois each defeated Penn State in 2010 and the Badgers won the conference's automatic BCS berth. Penn State must travel to Ohio State and Wisconsin this season while they host Illinois. The Nittany Lions have a good track record against the two schools from Indiana, including a perfect record against the Hoosiers since joining the Big Ten.
Since joining the conference in 1993 the Nittany Lions have only won once in Columbus, in 2008.
Win the Big Ten
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The new Big Ten football championship trophy is named after him in part, so it would be fitting to see Joe Paterno win it at least once before his career is over. The winner of the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game will receive the Stagg-Paterno Championship Trophy, named after both Paterno and Amos Alonza Stagg, the former University of Chicago head coach (Chicago was a founding member of the Big Ten).
Paterno has won at least a share of three Big Ten titles in 1994, 2005 and 2008. Winning the Leaders Division is just the first step in being able to check this accomplishment off of the list.
Return to the BCS Mix
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It goes without saying that winning the Big Ten will check this off the to-do list, but it is possible for Penn State to return to the BCS stage without winning Big Ten title. No conference has sent as many teams to the BCS mix of games as the Big Ten, although the Nittany Lions have not been selected as a BCS at-large.
Penn State's two BCS bowl appearances have come with an automatic invitation. The 2005 season ended in the Orange Bowl as a result of the Rose Bowl being used to stage the BCS championship game between Texas and USC. The 2008 season saw Penn State make their second trip to the Rose Bowl as a Big Ten champion, and first since the 1995 game.
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Win a BCS Game
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Not that anyone is hoping to see another triple overtime game in order to do so, but making it back to a BCS bowl game is just the first step. Before Joe Paterno's career is over it would be fitting to see Paterno celebrate one more big-game bowl win.
Paterno has won six Fiesta Bowls, four Orange Bowls, one Sugar Bowl, and one Rose Bowl. Since joining the Big Ten Paterno is 10-4 in bowl games.
Pass Eddie Robinson's Win Total
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Last fall Joe Paterno became the third college football coach to reach the 400-win milestone and he ended the season with 401 wins. While Paterno will be very unlikely to catch the currently active John Gagliardi at Division III Saint John's in Minnesota and his 478 wins and counting, Paterno will be in good position to pass the legendary Eddie Robinson.
Robinson accumulated 408 victories in his career while coaching at Grambling from 1941 through 1997. With Paterno needing seven wins to tie Robinson, it is possible he could tie the fellow College Football Hall of Fame coach before the calendar flips to November.
Beat Alabama
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The 2011 season will be highlighted early on with a home game against Alabama from the SEC. It will be the back end of a home-and-home series between the Nittany Lions and the Crimson Tide, but it may be the final opportunity Paterno gets to beat Alabama.
Unless the two meet up in a bowl game, which is entirely feasible given the Big Ten and SEC bowl contracts seeing the conferences match-up in the Outback Bowl, Capital One Bowl, and Gator Bowl, this could be the last time Alabama faces Paterno. Few programs have a winning record against Paterno, but Alabama is one of them. Since Paterno has been the head coach at Penn State he is 4-8 against Alabama, including 1-4 in bowl games.
In games played at Beaver Stadium Penn State and Paterno are 2-2.
Bring in a Top Rated Recruiting Class
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It is no secret that Joe Paterno's recruiting role has taken some steps back in his later years. Fewer, if any, in-house visits have led to rival coaches using Paterno's age against him but ask any recruit that commits to Penn State and a different story may be told.
Recruits still love Joe Paterno, and so do their families. There is something to be said for that. That is why Penn State has signed a number of talented players since 2000, such as wide receivers Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood - who all helped lead to a revival of the program in the middle of the decade. In the past year and a half Penn State has signed stud running back Silas Redd and a pair of highly rated quarterbacks in Paul Jones and Rob Bolden.
If Penn State could bring in one top-quality recruiting class before Paterno's career comes to a close it will prove that he still has what it takes to attract top talent.
Coach Three Generations
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This is certainly a stretch, but how cool would it be to see Joe Paterno coach a third generation of football? During his career Paterno has coached 25 father-son combinations. Current Nittany Lions Nate Stupar, Michael Mauti, Michael Zordich and Joe Suhey all had fathers previously play for Paterno.
Have a Player Win the Heisman Trophy
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Sometimes it is hard to believe that Penn State has only had one Heisman Trophy winner in program history. It certainly is not because there has been a lack of talent to come through Happy Valley, especially under Joe Paterno's leadership.
Only John Cappelletti in 1973 has been named the top college football player and you could argue that better players have suited up in blue and white since then. Before Paterno's tenure is over it would surely bring a smile to the coach's face if one of his players were named the Heisman Trophy winner once again.
Could any player on the current roster make a run for the trophy?
Win a National Championship
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Joe Paterno has four undefeated seasons in his career but just a pair of national championships to show for it. Since the BCS era got underway Paterno has had a couple of teams worthy of making a run for the championship but failed to reach the big game.
It would only be fitting if the college game's all-time leader in wins and bowl victories had a chance to play for all of the marbles with a BCS Championship on the line. The last time Penn State played for the national championship came in 1987 when the second-ranked Nittany Lions upset the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes.
Since then Paterno's 1994 team went 12-0 and won a Rose Bowl and finished the season ranked second in the major polls. That is as close as Paterno has been to winning his third national championship.
Kevin McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com. Follow his college football discussion on Twitter @CFBExaminer.
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