Joe Paterno Makes History with 409: Ranking His 10 Greatest Wins at Penn State

With a 10-7 victory over Illinois, Joe Paterno made history Saturday, now holding the most wins in Division I football history as a head coach. He surpassed Eddie Robinson—Grambling State's head coach for 55 years—as the winningest coach to ever stand on the sidelines of a major university.

In light of the win that pushed his team to 8-1 on the season and 5-0 in the Big Ten, Paterno was all smiles. He deserves it. What he has accomplished at Penn State is truly something special.

Over the last few years, Paterno has drawn some fire. His team underperformed in 2010 and a quarterback controversy this year drew tons of criticism from pundits and fans alike. Several people—including many Penn State fans—were calling for the iconic coach to step down as the face of Nittany Lion football.

While some of the criticism still holds merit, Paterno is stubbornly doing what he has done so many times before. He's putting together a strong, winning season despite how ugly it may sometimes appear and in spite of the voices telling him he's lost touch with the game he loves.

Time will tell when Joe Pa will finally call it quits. Time will also tell just how many wins Paterno can accumulate.

What time has already shown us is that Paterno is a terrific head coach. He's led Penn State football to some lofty heights, accompanied them from Independence to a tough new home in the Big Ten and been a rock of stability through the turmoil of the BCS and everchanging collegiate athletic landscape.

While it's difficult to pick just a handful of games out of library of victories, here are the 10 greatest wins Joe Paterno has overseen at Penn State.

10. October 27, 2001 Win over Ohio State 29-27

Any Big Ten fan can tell you that beating Ohio State is no small thing. For Penn State in 2001, it was most definitely no small feat.

Despite being a thrilling come-from-behind victory over a very tough conference opponent, this game really didn't mean an awful lot in the seasonal picture for Penn State. They finished the year with a losing record and failed to make a bowl appearance.

However, as with at least one other game you'll read about here, it wasn't the opponent or even the season that made this game so special.

That day, Joe Paterno eclipsed another icon in college football. Paul "Bear" Bryant is a name that will forever be remembered in college football circles as one of the greatest ever. On October 27, 2001, Joe Paterno surpassed Bryant's win total, pulling down win No. 324.

The win was exciting. The opponent was formidable. But the number broke Joe Paterno into the league of truly elite legends of college football.

9. November 12, 1994 Comeback Win over Illinois 35-31

Penn State had already been having a pretty impressive season. In 1994, they had huge victories over Ohio State (63-14), USC (38-14) and Michigan State (59-31) among others. That was one impressive team.

Against Illinois, however, this team displayed it's heart and protected what would later become an undefeated season.

The Illini jumped out to a 21-0 early lead, rocking Penn State and threatening to destroy their hopes of getting to the Rose Bowl. Not to mention of course, that a national title was still in the offing.

Ki-Jana Carter, Kerry Collins and Bobby Engram worked in concert that windy afternoon to slowly and methodically chew into Illinois lead. Never losing faith, they fought through the elements and a hostile crowd.

Brian Milne crossed the goal line with less than a minute to play, lifting the Lions to their first lead of the day 35-31. Not quite done, Illinois attempted to march back down the field. On the final play of the game, Illinois attempted a Hail Mary, but Kim Herring came away with the interception, capping one of the largest comeback victories in Penn State history and thrilling Nittany Lion faithful.

Penn State would go on to finish the season undefeated, and there may have been bigger victories in the eyes of the pundits. This was the game where Penn State's resolve was tested though, and they showed their mettle in a huge comeback win.

8. January 2, 1995 Rose Bowl Win over Oregon 38-20

As would happen at least a couple of times during Joe Pa's historic career, Penn State was robbed. They were robbed of a No. 1 position in both the Coaches' Poll and the Sports Writers poll (AP). Nebraska got that honor, however hard Paterno argued that they deserved a piece of that pie.

Still, the Rose Bowl victory over Oregon was awfully big. Not only did Penn State secure a perfect 12-0 season and earn a No. 2 spot in the nation; they also grabbed their first ever victory in "the Granddaddy of them All."

Some bowls have a meaning all their own, regardless of what else is on the line. The Rose Bowl is the king of just such bowls as it is the oldest bowl game played in America. There is no history in the nation that compares in totality to that of the Rose Bowl which has seen more than its share of Heisman Trophy winners and future NFL All-Stars.

It hosted another legend that day as Joe Paterno stalked the sidelines, leading his team to an impressive victory over a very tough Oregon team.

7. November 6, 2010 vs. Northwestern 35-21

In the grand scheme of the 2010 season, the win over Northwestern wasn't that big a deal. The Wildcats were 6-2 at the time but finished the year at 7-6, and this victory didn't exactly win anyone a conference title.

In fact, the biggest thing won in terms of the 2010 season was that the win helped solidify a bowl appearance for Penn State, who finished the year with a 7-6 record of their own and a loss to Florida in the Gator Bowl.

This date will forever be special in Joe Pa lore, however. November 6, 2010, marks the day Joseph Paterno breached the 400-win mark as the head coach of Penn State.

When you look at the big picture, 400 wins is truly a big deal. In this day and age, coaches come and go. A losing season here and another there can be all it takes to push a coach for the door. Tremendous winning seasons can open doors that entice coaches to greener pastures.

Ultimately, the rigors of the game and the recruiting trail take their toll on coaches, and they leave before the pressure becomes too much.

Not Joe Pa. He's done whatever he needed to do to stick with the program he loves and on that day in 2010—amid an otherwise forgettable season—Paterno's crew helped him achieve something pretty darn amazing.

6. November 17, 1990 Win over Notre Dame 24-21

Coming into this game, Notre Dame was No. 1 in the country. Oh, you remember those days. The Fighting Irish were one of the most feared programs in the country and every good Catholic kid wanted to play for Notre Dame.

Penn State meanwhile, was ranked No. 18 in the country, thanks in large part to opening losses to USC and Texas. On a seven-game win streak though, the Lions were a formidable opponent that had to go on the road to take on the Irish.

Notre Dame took an early 14-0 lead, but an injury to Rocket Ismail crippled the Irish offense. Joe Paterno's team kept plugging away, crawling back into the contest and forcing a 21-all tie.

As time ticked off the clock, Craig Fayak plugged the ball through the uprights lifting Penn State to victory.

That win may not have handed the Lions a national title, but it did the next best thing. It denied Notre Dame their shot at that glory.

Sometimes, the best victories come at the larger expense of others...

5. November 28, 1981 Win over Pitt 48-14

In-state rivalry games are always huge, and the 1981 game was no different. Pitt came into the contest ranked No. 1 in the nation. Penn State had held that spot earlier in the year, but a series of losses knocked them out of contention.

The prep for this game was heated with Penn State linebacker Chet Parlavecchio and Pitt coach Jackie Sherrill exchanging words.

The Panthers had grabbed an early 14-0 lead in the game, but Penn State roared back, tying the game by halftime. In the second half, Joe Paterno's boys took firm control of the game and rolled over the unsuspecting Panthers to come away with a huge 48-14 victory.

That score represents the largest victory Penn State has posted against a Top 5 team and is one of the largest upset margins of a No. 1 team in the history of the rankings. Penn State, under Joe Paterno, asserted once again that they were a force to be reckoned with and pulled out a huge win over a hated rival.

4. January 1, 1969 Orange Bowl Win over Kansas 15-14

All jokes about Joe Pa's clothes in that photo aside, this was a pretty huge win for Penn State. It wasn't as big as their victory over Miami (FL) in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl or the win over Georgia in the 1983 Sugar Bowl, but the '69 Orange Bowl was still a major victory for Joe Paterno.

Up to this point, Penn State football was just...there. No, they weren't necessarily bad, but they also weren't necessarily considered a national power.

With this game, however, Penn State capped a 11-0 season—the best finish in Penn State history to that point. The Nittany Lions finished that year at No. 2 in the polls, and Joe Paterno earned Coach of the Year honors.

Paterno is quoted on Fight On State as saying "This Orange Bowl game put us on the map."

It certainly did.

3. October 29, 2011 Win over Illinois 10-7

Let's not mistake anything here. This game was ugly. In the grand scope of Joe Paterno's career, this win was largely unremarkable in the way the victory was obtained.

His team struggled offensively through three quarters, and his defense seemed to do just enough to keep the team firmly in the contest. The quarterback play was abysmal, and turnovers were a thorn in everyone's side as both teams combined for seven grueling mistakes.

However, in the bigger picture of history, this was almost as big as they get.

With a team that is far less than the greats Paterno has coached, in a driving snow storm early, his team lifted Paterno past the legendary Eddie Robinson as the coach with the most wins in FBS football history at 409.

I'm confident that somewhere down the line of this season, Paterno will add still more, and this game will momentarily take a step back as the iconic coach pushes further into the pages of history.

However, no game will ever replace this game's place in his-story. No other game will break the record. No other game will firmly secure Joe Paterno as the winningest coach in college football history.

This was that game, ugly as it may have been. For fans of Joe Paterno though, it was a thing of beauty.

2. January 1, 1983 Sugar Bowl Win over Georgia 27-23

No. 2 Penn State entered the Sugar Bowl as underdogs to No. 1 Georgia. The Bulldogs were the team to beat if you wanted to be the national champion.

As the Sugar Bowl's website recaps the game, it nearly got away from Joe Pa. Georgia came alive in the second half of the game to close in on the Lions and threaten to steal away the biggest game of the year.

Todd Blackledge connected with Greg Garrity on a diving touchdown play to put Penn State up by more than a score. Again in the fourth, the Bulldogs would score to put the outcome in jeopardy. But Penn State's defense held tight, and the Lions came away with the big win.

This was the first national title for Joe Paterno and his Nittany Lions. It wouldn't be the last, but the first of anything always leaves a lasting impression, and the first national title still rings as a favorite among Penn State fans.

If Joe Paterno wasn't an icon in college football in 1982, he was by the early hours of 1983.

1. January 2, 1987, Fiesta Bowl Victory over Miami (FL) 14-10

I've read this game called "the ultimate battle between Good versus Evil." The Hurricanes were arguably the most powerful team in college football in the late 80s. They were mean, tough and wildly successful.

They were also more than a little dirty. Several fans still refer to the Hurricane program as "the cons," joking that they visited the local prisons before signing day.

While the jeers toward Miami may be a little nasty, the sentiment wasn't entirely one-sided. Many fans around the country believed those Miami squads were groups of thugs in shoulder pads.

Penn State wasn't supposed to win this game. They weren't supposed to even stay close. They weren't supposed to stop the daunting Hurricane offense, but stop them, they did. At least, enough so to allow their offense to grab the win.

That Fiesta Bowl is possibly one of the greatest bowl games ever played as Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions stunned the Hurricanes and walked away with a 12-0 record and the second national title of Joe Paterno's tenure at Penn State.