The Legacy of Joe Pa

This past weekend, we lost one of the greatest college football coaches in history. Joe Paterno's achievements as a coach are seemingly endless. 2 national championships, 409 wins, and the fact that 80 percent of his players graduated within 6 years. The numbers don't lie, and no one can deny his ability to coach at a high level. More importantly, Joe Paterno was a good man. Through and through, he was a man who stood for all of the right things, accepted defeat with his head held high, and taught each of his players how to be men. When an 18 year old recruit headed off to Penn State, he knew that he would leave one day with pride and a good understanding of how to be a good person. Penn State wasn't just a stepping stone to the NFL like LSU or Alabama. Penn State was a place in which a player would attend for 4 years and not only become a good football player, but learn the ways of leading a good life. Joe Paterno changed a countless number of people's lives, and he was beloved by every Penn State fan in the world. Seemingly perfect way to go out right? Think again. A sex abuse scandal that was discovered this past November cost Paterno his job as head coach, and possibly left his legacy tainted.

It should not be a tainted legacy though, because the life that Joe Pa led was filled with greatness. Joe Paterno is not a criminal, and should never be mistaken for one either. I believe Paterno was wrong in his failure to tell officials about his knowledge of the scandal, but what human doesn't make a mistake? Don't think for a second that all of the other college football programs out there are flawless and wonderful institutions. At powerhouse football schools such as LSU, Alabama, and Florida, players seemingly breeze their way through school. These kids leave college with no education, no sense of discipline or morals, and let's face it, if these kids don't make it to the pros, they're in big trouble for the future. You see, most coaches care about one thing and one thing only. Winning. They'll do whatever it takes to win, and they recruit players for one reason; to perform well on the football field. Good performance leads to more wins, and more wins lead to more money for the coaches and universities. Joe Paterno never followed along though, he stood for what he believed in, and that was to develop good young men. Joe Pa was quiet, married to one woman his whole life, raised children, and donated millions to Penn State. Penn State was Joe Paterno's life, and suddenly it was all taken from him. The school board had the nerve to fire him over the phone, after everything he did for the university, they choose to fire him over the phone. It's a shame, and honestly Joe Pa deserves better treatment than that.

Many people look at his legacy as tarnished, but I do not. I will always remember Joe Paterno as the good man that he was, not the scandal he was caught in the middle of. The legend of Joe will live on forever, so let's try and remember the good things that he did in his beautifully lived life. We are. Penn State.


Works Cited: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=pf-forde_paterno_passing_conflicted_complicated_012212