In the late hours of last night, rumors were going around on social networks saying that  legendary coach Joe Paterno had died at the age of 85.  I was in shock.  I knew that over the past month he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, but I had no idea it was this bad already.  The rumors were proven to be untrue when his son tweeted that his father had not passed away, and his family released a statement saing that he was in serious condition and his family had gathered at his bedside in the hospital. It was sad to see these rumors last night. When his death finally did come later this morning, it was unfortunate that his memory could be tarnished by the mysterious role that Joe Pa did or did not play in the Jerry Sandusky Penn State child abuse situation.
Paterno had been at Penn State for the last 61 years.  For the first 15 of those years, he was an assistant coach to his old college coach Rip Engle before getting the head job where he has been the last 46 years.  In those 46 years of coaching, he has lead the university to 409 career wins, the most wins of all time by any college level coach.  Such records and tenures as a head coach will never be reached again.  No longer do schools keep coaches after a few losing seasons.

Amid the Penn State sexual abuse scandal, Joe Pa was put in the spotlight which in the end led to his firing in late November.  The University basically cleaned house as they also fired the Athletic Director, President and many more people. When this news broke, people went crazy, riots erupted on campus and many former players showed their support of Paterno by cutting ties with Penn State.  A few weeks after this happened, the Paterno family came out and said that Joe had been diagnosed with a form of lung cancer.  Now, two months after his firing, Joe has passed away.

I don’t believe that the cancer killed Joe, I think that it was Penn State football. When the termination went down, the school fired him by phone. They sent a carrier with a message to his house just off campus with a number for Paterno to call.  Is this the way that someone who was the focal point of the school, who lived and breathed Penn State football for the past 61 years should have been fired? This broke the heart of a man who gave his all to a school for the majority of his life.  While I watch stars such a Mike Ditka, Lou Holtz, Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Nick Saban and Coach K on ESPN this morning, they all believe the same thing.  Musburger is one of the hosts of College Football Live and covered many Penn State games and knew Paterno well.  While talking to Paterno one day, he said that he asked him why it was taking him so long to step down?  Paterno replied with an answer that just jerks at your emotions. Paterno said he was afraid to retire after legendary coach Bear Bryant at Alabama died very soon after retirement. He also said that he didn’t like to golf and he wasn’t a fisherman; his one hobby was football and that is what kept him going.

Everyone who spoke of Joe Pa also called him a father figure.  People who went to Penn State almost had a certain type of swagger when they came out.  This was a coach who over his years put nearly 300 players into the NFL.  Penn State was always a winning program and Joe Pa taught his players how to become men at such a crucial age.

”My first thoughts about Joe are not as a coach because he was well beyond that. He was an educator and a teacher. He taught lessons, some about football, mostly about life. He taught us how to treat others and how to conduct life. He did it with his life,” said former Penn State linebacker Matt Millen in a interview with Fox Sports.

I can’t sit here and say that whatever happened in the sex scandal and whether his role was right or wrong, because at this time we still don’t know the details. However, it does hurt to see a legend die in such a way even when he wasn’t the man behind the actions. Joseph Vincent Paterno will go down in my book as the best college coach of all time. The memories of his smile and his high-water pants will always be around.  He is a true definition of a man who lived and was loyal to a university which is something that is hard to find today since everything is about money. The statue in front of Beaver Stadium will always hold a memory of a soldier, a player, coach and a father.  R.I.P Joe Pa 1926-2012.