Photo by Steve Manuel Joseph V. Paterno Dec. 21, 1926 Jan. 22, 2012 They ask me what I d like written about me when I m gone. I hope they write I made Penn State a better place, not just that I was a good football coach. A special edition of the Nittany Lion Club Newsletter
Fran Fisher (inset left), the first executive director of the Nittany Lion Club, called Joe Paterno his friend for more than a half century. Fisher also served as the voice of Penn State football, calling games for years on radio with George Paterno (inset right). Remembering Joe Paterno By Fran Fisher I first met Joe Paterno in 1960 at a Lewistown, Pa., Lion s Club father-son night. He accompanied Penn State freshman football coach Earl Bruce, who was the speaker. The last time I saw Joe Paterno was Nov. 24, 2011. As I left his home, he said, Remember the good times, Fran. The memory of those good times sustained me through two emotionally draining, sorrowful experiences: the way his career came to an abrupt end and his subsequent passing. For me there were no bad times associated with my relationship with Joe Paterno, either as a broadcaster or as a member of the athletic administration. Early on Joe guaranteed good times for me when, in 1966, my first year as a member of the Penn State Football Radio Network broadcast team, he and Sue welcomed Charlotte and me (and Jeff and Jerry) to the Penn State football family. A lasting, unforgettable relationship. Later as executive director of the Nittany Lion Club, my travels with Joe to many dinners and fundraisers Fran Fisher was the first executive director of the Nittany Lion Club. He was also the longtime radio voice of Penn State sports, an athletic administrator at the University, co-host of TV Quarterbacks (with Paterno, above), a radio personality known across the state of Pennsylvania and beyond, and so much more. At 88, he s a living legend who regularly attends Penn State sporting events and remains active with Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics as well as many activities in the community. In this piece, he shares some perspectives and memories about Coach Paterno. gave me the opportunity to see first hand the positive and inspiring effect of his charisma. I was in awe. Still am. Penn State will never be the same without Joe Paterno and neither will I. As I write this I still can t believe we re without him. Without him? His presence will be forever felt far beyond this community and this campus through the players he coached, their children and their children s children; by osmosis through the hands he has shaken; by the Paternoisms he uttered; through a huge alumni base, college football fans everywhere, teachers, coaches, school children of all ages, Presidents, celebrities, royalty and Penn State students from the classes of 1966 through 2012 who can proudly say Joe Paterno was the coach of my football team! Hundreds of thousands of people touched by Joe Paterno. Oh, how I will miss him. Every time I was with him I felt the exhilaration of being in the presence of greatness. No more.
Paterno as a Coach and Family Man His records for career victories (409) and bowl victories (24) were important, but not as cherished as and his five children, 17 grandchildren and hundreds of former student-athletes. With coach Paterno it was always team. Football was his experimental lab for that, because there was no greater place to teach the value of team than the football field, with 11 people having to be on the same page and sacrifice individual desires for the benefit of the team. Todd Blackledge Photo by Mark Selders
Paterno as an Educator With his Ivy League degree from Brown, Paterno understood the importance of a quality education, and he emphasized that to the student-athletes in his program and others at the University. Photo by Joe Rokita My eligibility was over, I was finished, and I get a call saying, Joe wants to see you in his office. I went in there and he said, What are you doing? Look at your class schedule. This is beneath you. It just showed his true commitment to what was really important to him. It was family, it was faith, it was education. Jimmy Cefalo
Paterno as a Philanthropist Joe and Sue contributed more than $4 million to Penn State during his career. The libraries, the liberal arts and the campus spiritual center were among the biggest benefactors. Joe and Sue have been steadfast supporters of the academic mission of Penn State. They have not only given generously themselves, but they ve invited alums into their homes, planted seeds for major gifts with other donors and helped solicit many of those gifts. Just by being at an event, Joe called attention not to himself but to our students and programs. Susan Welch, Dean, College of the Liberal Arts
Paterno in Photos His success brought adoration from fans, respect from coaching colleagues and a place in the public eye that enabled him to make an impact far beyond Happy Valley. Photo by Steve Manuel
139,000 Square feet in Paterno Library, which opened in 1999 60,288 Increase in capacity of Beaver Stadium from Paterno s first season as head coach, 1966 (46,284) to his final season, 2011 (106,572) 1,077 Penn State lettermen 888 Number of coaching changes in Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) while Paterno was the only coach at Penn State 548 Games as head coach, second all-time 400 Earned 400th win vs. Northwestern (35-21) on Nov. 6, 2010 324 Earned 324th win and established Division I-A career wins mark vs. Ohio State (29-27) on Oct. 27, 2001 300 Earned 300th win vs. Bowling Green (48-3) on Sept. 12, 1998 279 Academic All-Big Ten selections under Paterno, most in the conference from 1993 to 2011 250 Earned 250th win at Iowa (31-0) on Sept. 18, 1993 231 Victories in in Beaver Stadium under Paterno (231-54) JOSEPH VINCENT PATERNO / Dec. 21, 1926 Jan. 22, 2012 Paterno: By the Numbers 200 Earned 200th win vs. Bowling Green (45-19) on Sept. 5, 1987 162 Victories by Paterno-coached teams as members of the Big Ten 150 Earned 150th win at Pitt (48-14) on Nov. 28, 1981 100 Earned 100th win vs. North Carolina State (41-20) on Nov. 6, 1976 87 NCAA Graduation Success Rate under Paterno (October 2011) 69 Length of Paterno s game-winning punt return for Brown vs. Holy Cross in 1949 66 Different stadiums Paterno coached in as head coach 66 First team All-Americans (79 selections overall) 62 Years on the Penn State coaching staff 50 Earned 50th win vs. Maryland (63-27) on Nov. 6, 1971 47 Academic All-Americans 46 Years as head coach, most by FBS coach at one school 41 Shutouts by Penn State under Paterno 37 First-team Academic All-Americans 37 Bowl trips as head coach, the all-time leader 36 Paterno s jersey number at Brown 35 Teams ranked in the final Top 25 31 Longest unbeaten streak (30-0-1; 1967-70) 26 Father-son combinations coached 21 Number of teams to finish season with at least 10 wins 18 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners 17 New Year s Day bowl wins 16 National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Scholar-Athletes 9 Number of U.S. presidents who served while Paterno was head coach 1 Earned first win vs. Maryland (15-7) on Sept. 17, 1966, before a Beaver Stadium crowd of 40,911
Photo by Mark Selders At Penn State Joe Paterno would find a way to deliver on his promise to make an impact. He delivered in a way that roared out of this valley and across the world. Jay Paterno THE PATERNO RECORD Year W L T Bowl Game 1966 5 5 0 1967 8 2 1 Gator: Tied Florida State, 17-17 1968 11 0 0 Orange: Beat Kansas, 15-14 1969 11 0 0 Orange: Beat Missouri, 10-3 1970 7 3 0 1971 11 1 0 Cotton: Beat Texas, 30-6 1972 10 2 0 Sugar: Lost to Oklahoma, 14-0 1973 12 0 0 Orange: Beat LSU, 16-9 1974 10 2 0 Cotton: Beat Baylor, 41-20 1975 9 3 0 Sugar: Lost to Alabama, 13-6 1976 7 5 0 Gator: Lost to Notre Dame, 20-9 1977 11 1 0 Fiesta: Beat Arizona State, 42-30 1978 11 1 0 Sugar: Lost to Alabama, 14-7 1979 8 4 0 Liberty: Beat Tulane, 9-6 1980 10 2 0 Fiesta: Beat Ohio State, 31-19 1981 10 2 0 Fiesta: Beat USC, 26-10 1982 11 1 0 Sugar: Beat Georgia, 27-23 1983 8 4 1 Aloha: Beat Washington, 13-10 1984 6 5 0 1985 11 1 0 Orange: Lost to Oklahoma, 25-10 1986 12 0 0 Fiesta: Beat Miami (Fla.), 14-10 1987 8 4 0 Citrus: Lost to Clemson, 35-10 1988 5 6 0 1989 8 3 1 Holiday: Beat BYU, 50-39 1990 9 3 0 Blockbuster: Lost to Florida State, 24-17 1991 11 2 0 Fiesta: Beat Tennessee, 42-17 1992 7 5 0 Blockbuster: Lost to Stanford, 24-3 1993 10 2 0 Citrus: Beat Tennessee, 31-13 1994 12 0 0 Rose: Beat Oregon, 38-20 1995 9 3 0 Outback: Beat Auburn, 43-14 1996 11 2 0 Fiesta: Beat Texas, 38-15 1997 9 3 0 Citrus: Lost to Florida, 21-6 1998 9 3 0 Outback: Beat Kentucky, 26-14 1999 10 3 0 Alamo: Beat Texas A&M, 24-0 2000 5 7 0 2001 5 6 0 2002 9 4 0 Capital One: Lost to Auburn, 13-9 2003 3 9 0 2004 4 7 0 2005 11 1 1 Orange: Beat Florida State, 26-23 2006 9 4 0 Outback: Beat Tennessee, 20-10 2007 9 4 0 Alamo: Beat Texas A&M, 24-17 2008 11 2 0 Rose: Lost to USC, 38-24 2009 11 2 0 Capital One: Beat LSU, 19-17 2010 7 6 0 Outback: Lost to Florida, 37-24 2011 8 1 0 TOTALS 409 136 3 BOWLS: Won 24, Lost 12, Tied 1