NITTANY LION F O O T B A L L SUCCESS WITH HONOR MALLOY PATERNO HEAD FOOTBALL COACH S RECORD Overall: Won 372, Lost 125, Tied 3 (Winning percentage of 74.7) Regular-Season Record: Won 349, Lost 115, Tied 2 (75.1) Bowl Record: Won 23, Lost 10, Tied 1 (69.1) New Year s Bowl Record: Won 16, Lost 6 (72.7) 43RD YEAR AS HEAD COACH A career marked with distinction, glorious accomplishments and immeasurable contributions to The Pennsylvania State University reached another significant milestone as the calendar flipped to the start of another college football season. This past July, Joe Paterno was enshrined into the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. The five-time national Coach-of-the-Year was selected for induction in 2006 and was set to join two more legendary coaches Bobby Bowden and John Gagliardi as the first active coaches or players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Coach Paterno s induction, though, was deferred, as the injuries he sustained during a sideline collision in a November 2006 game at Wisconsin prevented him from traveling to the event. Paterno and Bowden, who rank No. 1-2 in victories among major college coaches, received the prestigious Gold Medal, the National Football Foundation s highest honor, at the 2006 Hall of Fame Dinner via a video presentation. JOE PATERNO another football legend, Amos Alonzo Stagg, for longevity at a single institution among major college coaches in 2007. Stagg was a head coach for 57 years, including 41 at the University of Chicago (1892-1932). For 58 years and 656 games, Paterno has passionately served the Penn State football program and the university I have mixed feelings because there were so many with principle and success with honor. After 16 years as an people that are not with me any more who made it possible for me, stated Paterno during the December 4, 2007 coaching responsibilities surrendered by the retiring Rip assistant coach, he was rewarded in 1966 with the head induction ceremony. How good has it been? What we Engle, his college coach at Brown who appointed him to the share in football; there s never been a greater game. Penn State staff in 1950 as a brash 23-year-old. We ve been involved in the greatest game, the greatest He is older now, and wiser, but no less enthusiastic and experience anybody could hope for. Great teammates. no less dynamic. He is, simply put, the most successful Guys you could trust. Guys you loved. Guys you would go coach in the history of college football a fact that was validated during the 2001 season when he moved past Paul to war with tomorrow. We re so lucky we re so lucky. If we lose what we have in football, we ll lose an awful lot in Bear Bryant to become the leader in career wins by a major this country and we ve got to remember that. college coach. He also is one of the most admired figures in This fall will mark Joe Paterno s 43rd season pacing college athletics, an acknowledged icon whose influence the sidelines as head coach of the Nittany Lions. Penn extends well beyond the white chalk lines of the football field. State s field general since 1966, Paterno moved past Even though he is enormously successful at it, from 1949 Brothers George and Joe Paterno lead Brown to an 8-1 season as seniors. 195O Following his graduation from Brown, Paterno follows Coach Rip Engle to Penn State as an assistant coach. Harry Truman is President of the United States. 1955 1959 Paterno does not coach in the October 1 game at Army due to the death of his father, Angelo, one of just three games he has missed in his career. Paterno helps Penn State to a 9-2 record and just its third bowl bid, posting a 7-0 win over Alabama in the Liberty Bowl. 1962 Paterno marries Suzanne Pohland of Latrobe, Pa. 132
the perspective of meaningful contributions to society, the least important thing Joe Paterno does is coach football, former Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist Bill Lyon told his readers. Paterno has faced every situation imaginable on the gridiron and has used his preparation, experience and understanding of the game he loves to respond and keep the Penn State program among the nation s elite for more than 40 years. The 2007 edition of the Nittany Lions featured another top 10 defense, five first-team All-Big Ten selections, the third consecutive winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award, a 1,000-yard running back and the first Penn State quarterback to throw for more than 2,000 yards twice. In a fitting end to a memorable year, the Nittany Lions comeback victory over Texas A&M in the Valero Alamo Bowl was Paterno s 500th game as head coach. Penn State was No. 25 in the final USA Today Coaches poll, marking the 33rd time Paterno has guided his team to a Top 25 finish. It came as no surprise that less than two weeks after undergoing surgery on his left leg in November 2006, Paterno was back in Beaver Stadium, observing his team from the coaches booth for the regular-season finale against Michigan State. He has missed just three games of a possible 656 Penn State contests over 58 seasons. The 2005 Lions are a squad Paterno will remember fondly. The players and coaches passionately toiled every day to return Penn State to the national championship picture. The Lions compiled an 11-1 record, captured the Big Ten Championship and a triple-overtime win over Bowden s Florida State squad in the 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl. The 11-win season represented another milestone, as Penn State recorded at least 10 victories under Paterno in a fifth decade and for the 19th time overall. The Nittany Lions were No. 3 in the polls, earning their 13th Top 5 finish under the veteran coach, and 21st finish in the Top 10. For his leadership in restoring the Nittany Lions to the nation s elite, Paterno was recognized with numerous National Coach-of-the-Year honors, capped by an unprecedented fifth selection by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). He also received national honors from the Associated Press, Bobby Dodd, Home Depot/ESPN, Maxwell Football Club (George Munger), Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C., The Sporting News and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. A member of the Nittany Lions coaching staff spanning the administrations of 11 U.S. presidents (starting with Harry Truman), Paterno passed Bryant on October 27, 2001 when the Lions secured his 324th victory by rallying from a 27-9 deficit to defeat Ohio State, 29-27, in the greatest Beaver Stadium comeback under the legendary coach. Paterno has posted a 372-125-3 mark in 42 seasons as head coach and ranks second in career wins among major college coaches and fourth all-time. His winning percentage of 74.7 is third-best among active Division I-A coaches (10 or more years) and he is second all-time in games coached (500) among major college coaches. Paterno is the all-time leader among coaches in bowl appearances (34) and post-season triumphs (23). His overall post-season record of 23-10-1 gives him a winning percentage of 69.1, good for No. 2 among the bowl season s best of all-time. The Nittany Lions are 16-6 in New Year s bowl games under Paterno and 12-4 in contests that comprise the Bowl Championship Series. Since Paterno took over in 1966, Penn State has had 74 first-team All-Americans, with senior linebacker Dan Connor earning first-team honors in 2007 for the second consecutive season. Over the same span, the Lions have counted 15 Hall of Fame Scholar-Athletes, 27 first-team ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES 453....... John Gagliardi (active) 408....... Eddie Robinson 373....... Bobby Bowden (active) 372.... (active) 323....... Bear Bryant 319....... Pop Warner Academic All-Americans (36 overall) and 18 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners. Winner of the 2005 Butkus and 2005 and 06 Bednarik awards, linebacker Paul Posluszny was selected the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American -of-the-year in Division I football, becoming the fifth Nittany Lion to twice be selected a first-team Academic All-American. Paterno s coaching portfolio includes two National Championships (1982, 1986); five undefeated, untied teams; 20 finishes in the Top Ten of the national rankings; five AFCA Coach-of-the-Year plaques, and more than 300 former players who have signed National Football League contracts, 31 of them first-round draft choices. A school-record four Lions were selected in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. His teams have registered seven undefeated regularseasons and he has had 33 teams finish in the Top 25. Penn State has won the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy, emblematic of Eastern football supremacy, 22 times in Paterno s coaching run, including in 2005. NITTANY LION F O O T B A L L SUCCESS WITH HONOR Milestones, Paterno has said, are not things that motivate him. One day he may look back on the rich canvas he has created but it won t be anytime soon because retirement is about the last thing on this 81-year-old s mind. In May 2004, he signed a four-year extension of his current Penn State contract that will keep him on the sidelines through at least the 2008 season. Before Paterno removes those white athletic socks and trademark black Nikes for the final time, there s not much doubt he will have established THE benchmark for college football coaches. Three of his squads finished a perfect 12-0 in 1973, PATERNO S PERFECT SEASONS 1968............ 11-0 1969............ 11-0 1973............ 12-0 1986............ 12-0 1994............ 12-0 1986 and 1994 and his 1968 and 1969 squads were 11-0. His 1978 and 85 teams were unbeaten in the regular-season, losing in bowl games for the National Championship. Paterno s longevity in a profession where change is a constant borders on the unbelievable. Consider that since Paterno succeeded Engle as head coach in 1966 there have been 817 head coaching changes at Division I schools, an average of six changes per school! Paterno has remained true to the ideal that a university is an educational institution first and foremost, graduating his student-athletes and constantly striving to instill values of citizenship and sportsmanship. Joe makes a point of stressing academics over football," Bob Rickenbach, a 70s era offensive lineman, said. He says football can only carry you so far and he s right. There aren t many schools, or coaches, that take that approach. He s putting together this winning program, but meanwhile he s teaching 17-, 18-, 19-year-olds how not to screw their lives up, how important education is, how important it is to have social 1966 1966 Penn State defeats Maryland, 15-7, in Paterno s first game, and the Nittany Lions go on to post a 5-5 mark, one of only six non-winning records in his tenure. One day after Rip Engle announced his retirement and 16 years after he had planned to attend Boston University law school, Joe Paterno is named Penn State s 14th head coach on February 19, 1966. 1968 1969 A last-second 15-14 win over Kansas in the Orange Bowl completes an 11-0 season. Despite Penn State compiling a second consecutive 11-0 season, President Richard Nixon proclaims Texas No. 1, and the Lions finish No. 2 again. 1971 Following a disheartening loss at Tennessee, Penn State romps past Texas, 30-6, in the Cotton Bowl in a game Paterno calls one of the greatest victories in school history. 133
NITTANY LION F O O T B A L L acumen, All-America linebacker Greg Buttle told the San Antonio Express-News in 2007. Forget what he's done for players. He s done more for a single university than anyone else. It transcends his coaching. No. 1 to him is what he s done for Penn State University, No. 2 is what he has done for players. Since beginning play in the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State s 209 academic all-conference honorees are the most for any league school. In December 2007, Patrick and Candace Malloy honored Paterno s contributions to the University by committing $5 million to create the Malloy Paterno Head Football Coach Endowment at Penn State. All of Penn State has benefited from Joe s commitment to success with honor, said Patrick Malloy, a 1965 alumnus of the University. He is so much more than a coach; he s an educator. He teaches his players how to win in life as well as in football, and he teaches every Penn State fan how to make the world a better place through integrity, honesty, and excellence. We are also fortunate enough to know Sue Paterno, and we have the deepest admiration for her volunteer and philanthropic leadership at Penn State and beyond. Paterno was bestowed a trio of diverse honors in 2006. He was named a Free Spirit honoree and recognized by The Freedom Forum at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Paterno also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Dapper Dan Charities in Pittsburgh and the History Makers Award, presented by the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center. Paterno s dual focus of athletic excellence and academic accomplishment is one of the reasons he was presented the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award by the American Football Coaches Association, the AFCA s highest honor, in 2002. The award honors those whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football. Also in 2002, Paterno and one of his former players, Dr. Dave Joyner, were co-recipients of the Inspiration Award, presented by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Paterno also received the Hope Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in 2002. In 2001, Paterno received the Pennsylvania Founder s Award from then-governor Tom Ridge, and was inducted SUCCESS WITH HONOR 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 Southern Cal, 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 Brigham Young, 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 0 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 Totals 372 125 3 Bowls: Won 23, Lost 10, Tied 1 into the Pittsburgh Hall of Fame. The Maxwell Club of Philadelphia presented him with its annual Reds Bagnell Award in 2000 for contributions to the game of football. Previous winners of the Bagnell Award include the late NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, Lamar Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs and Dan Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The only other college coaches to receive it are Eddie Robinson of Grambling and Bill Manlove of Widener University. The greatest testimonial to the Penn State football program is its list of graduates," former All-America center Bill Lenkaitis, now a dentist in Foxboro, Mass., said. Look at where these guys are now and what they re doing. Look how many go to medical school or law school. Look how many become heads of corporations. That s the real test of a college football program, Lenkaitis said. Not how many trophies they have in the window, not how many players they have in the Hall of Fame, but how many guys they have making it, really making it 10 to 15 years down the road. On that score, I d put Penn State up against any of them. Lenkaitis observations mirror his coach s response when asked to name his greatest team. It won t necessarily be the one with the most wins, most All-Americas, or the most post-season awards, Paterno has said. Rather, it will be the team that has yielded the most productive members of society. Giving back is a theme Paterno not only preaches but also practices. He and his wife, Sue, and their five children gave the University $3.5 million in 1998 to endow faculty positions and scholarships, and to support two building projects. The Paternos have contributed more than $4 million to Penn State during his tenure. Paterno was the 98 winner of the initial State Farm Eddie Robinson Coach-of-the-Year Award, established to recognize an active college head coach who exemplifies the qualities of Coach Robinson as a role model to students and players, an active member of the community and an accomplished coach. In 1999, Paterno received the National Heritage Award of the Anti-Defamation League at a gala in Philadelphia. Coach Paterno is an outstanding role model, mentor and leader, humanitarian and philanthropist, ADL Regional Director Barry Morrison said. He has helped build champions both on and off the field through his ongoing commitment to the values that ADL stands for equality, dignity, educational achievement, tolerance and diversity. Angelo Paterno (Joe s father) died in 1955, when his son was an assistant coach, 11 years away from becoming the head coach. But his son became an idealist and jousts still with windmills, and it is difficult to believe if he had become a barrister, while he would have been a good one, that Joe Paterno would have affected as many lives, wrought more good, than he has as a coach, Bill Lyon wrote on the occasion of the ADL award. He s tough as hell, former All-America linebacker and ex-nfl standout Shane Conlan (Buffalo Bills, St. Louis Rams) said in an interview, but he does things the way they re supposed to be done. He follows the rules. He believes you re there for an education. He teaches you more than football. He teaches you about life. Paterno, whose tenure at Penn State 16 years as an assistant and 42 as head coach spans the administrations of 11 U.S. Presidents, owns one of sport s most substantial resumes. In his five-decade-plus career, he has: 1973 1976 Led by Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti, Penn State goes 12-0 for its third unbeaten season under Paterno. A 41-20 victory over North Carolina State on November 6 gives Paterno his 100th career win. 1977 1978 Paterno does not attend the October 15 game at Syracuse after son, David, is involved in a trampoline accident. An Alabama goal line stand helps deny No. 1 ranked Penn State its first national championship, 14-7, in the Sugar Bowl. 1981 The Nittany Lions fall behind No. 1 Pittsburgh, 14-0, but score 48 unanswered points en route to a 10-2 season. 134
Led teams to 23 bowl victories, more than anyone in his profession; Become the only coach to win the four traditional New Year s Day games the Rose, Sugar, Cotton and Orange bowls as well as the Fiesta Bowl; Captured National Championships in 1982 and 1986 and had teams finish undefeated, but uncrowned, in 1968, 1969, 1973 and 1994; Posted 11 or more victories in 13 seasons; Seen at least one player win a first-team All-America berth in 35 of his 42 years; Won Coach-of-the-Year honors an unprecedented five times in balloting by the American Football Coaches Association (1968, 78, 82, 86 and 05); Been selected by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame as the first active coach ever to receive its Distinguished American award; Appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as its 1986 Sportsman-of-the-Year; Watched more than 250 of his ex-lions play in the National Football League, including 31 who were first-round draft choices; Coached players who have won all of the major college awards Heisman, Maxwell, Walter Camp, Lombardi, O Brien, Outland, Butkus, Bednarik, Doak Walker and Biletnikoff; Witnessed the payoff to his emphasis on graduating and achieving academic goals through the selection of 27 first-team Academic All-Americas, 15 Hall of Fame Scholar- Athletes and 18 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners; Tutored three former players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and seven whose plaques hang in the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, including Keith Dorney in 2005. Paterno needed fewer games (246) to reach the 200- win plateau than any of the 10 major college coaches on the list. He also was the quickest to achieve 300 victories. It took Bear Bryant, the previous leader, 393 games to reach that level; Paterno attained that peak in 380 games. One of the astonishing statistics about his tenure is that he has been on the coaching staff for more than half of the football games played by the Lions since the program bowed in 1887. The January 1, 1997 Fiesta Bowl was the University s 1,044th game and Paterno s 522nd since arriving on campus. Prior to the 2006 Temple game, six days after his leg surgery, he had been absent only twice for an opening kickoff at Army in 1955 due to the death of his father and at Syracuse in 1977 when his son, David, was seriously injured in an accident. Penn State s 2008 season opener with Coastal Carolina will be the 657th game of Paterno s career. Paterno admitted to being especially energized when the Nittany Lions, after more than 100 years as an independent, signed on as members of the Big Ten Conference in 1993. It didn t take long for Penn State to flex its muscle in the new neighborhood. In just its second year of conference affiliation, Paterno WHEN 300TH WIN CAME Bobby Bowden Bear Bryant John Gagliardi Eddie Robinson Pop Warner Tubby Raymond Roy Kidd Amos Alonzo Stagg 380th Game 300-77-3, 33rd year, 2nd game 389th Game 300-85-4, 34th year, 8th game 392nd Game 300-77-16, 36th year, 4th game 405th Game 300-95-10, 45th year, 6th game 411th Game 300-98-13, 40th year, 3rd game 415th Game 300-91-24, 41st year, 8th game 422nd Game 300-119-3, 36th year, 9th game 425th Game 300-118-7, 38th year, 2nd game 507th Game 300-91-24, 41st year, 8th game guided Penn State to a 12-0 record, including a victory in the 1995 Rose Bowl. The Lions became the first Big Ten team to record an undefeated season in 26 years and first ever to post a 12-0 record. The Lions were ranked No. 2 behind Nebraska in the final polls, marking the third time an unbeaten Paterno-led squad finished second in the nation. The Nittany Lions are 125-58 overall since starting competition in the Big Ten in 1993. Paterno is one of just eight coaches in Conference history to win at least 125 games at one institution. Defining Joe Paterno by wins and losses, however, is to trivialize his contributions to intercollegiate athletics. This native of Brooklyn, N.Y., is not a man of misplaced priorities. NITTANY LION F O O T B A L L SUCCESS WITH HONOR How many football coaches majored in English Literature at an Ivy League school, retired Penn State athletic director Jim Tarman, a Paterno friend since 1950, asked? When he sits up half the night, as he did for years, doing x s and o s for the next day s practice or next Saturday s game, he always listened to opera. I think the fact that he has such a broad range of interests is one of the reasons our football program has been different. Obviously not a person of misplaced priorities, Paterno always has concentrated on seeing that his student-athletes attend class, devote the proper time to studies and graduate with a meaningful degree. He often has said he measures team success not by athletic prowess but by the number of productive citizens who make a contribution to society. The players who have been most important to the success of Penn State teams, Paterno has said, have just naturally kept their priorities straight: football a high second, but academics an undisputed first. The 2007 NCAA Graduation Success Rate Report for Division I institutions provided the most recent compelling evidence of the success of Paterno s Grand Experiment. The report revealed that the Penn State football program s 76 percent GSR was No. 3 in the nation among teams ranked in the final 2007 USA Today Coaches Top 25 and well above the national average of 67 percent. The NCAA data also showed that Penn State posted a 74 percent federal graduation rate among freshmen entering in 2000-01, second-highest among Big Ten institutions. The national Division I-A average was 55 percent. African-American members of the Nittany Lion football team also earned a Graduation Success Rate of 76 percent, significantly higher than the national average of 57 percent, and 15 points higher than the next closest Big Ten school, according to the 2007 NCAA data. In his extraordinary career, Penn State has produced at 1982 1984 The Nittany Lions knock off top-ranked Georgia, 27-23, in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 1983 to claim the school s first national championship. Joe and Sue Paterno establish the Paterno Libraries Endowment with gifts totaling $120,000. The Endowment s value now is more than $4 million. 1985 Unbeaten and top-ranked Penn State falls to Oklahoma, 25-10, in the Orange Bowl on January 1, 1986. 1986 Paterno is named Sports Illustrated Sportsman-of-the-Year and AFCA Coachof-the-Year for a record fourth time. 1986 Penn State intercepts Vinny Testaverde five times and stuns Miami (Fla.), 14-10, in the Fiesta Bowl on January 2, 1987 to finish 12-0 and claim its second national championship. 135
NITTANY LION F O O T B A L L Paterno And the Presidents Paterno was called upon to introduce George W. Bush during a Pennsylvania stop on the 43rd president s successful campaign for a second term in 2004. SUCCESS WITH HONOR least one first-team All-America in 35 of his 42 years. More than 300 of his players have signed with National Football League teams and 31 have been first-round draft choices. Defensive end Courtney Brown and linebacker LaVar Arrington were the top two selections in the 2000 NFL Draft, only the third time in the history of the modern draft that the first two players chosen have been college teammates. In a survey of pro football general managers and personnel directors by The Sporting News, Penn State was a clear-cut winner as the college program that best prepares players for the NFL. That program is well-rounded from the standpoint that Joe Paterno demands discipline for his players, both academically and on the field, said Rod Graves, an executive with the Arizona Cardinals. Standards of character are very University and the community, Penn State president Graham Spanier said. And that makes me the luckiest university president in the country. The Paternos effort as co-chairs of the campaign to expand Pattee Library included a personal contribution of $250,000 among the $14 million raised. The Penn State Board of Trustees voted to name the new library wing after the Paternos. The five-story, 135,000-square-foot expansion doubled the size of Pattee Library. The $34.4 million Paterno Library was dedicated on September 8, 2000. Paterno was a major contributor of both money and time to the $352 million Campaign for Penn State, for which he served as Vice Chair. He also was an honorary chair for the University s Grand Destiny campaign that netted more than $1.37 billion by its June 2003 conclusion, I tell you one thing about Joe Paterno; there's no more decent fellow on the face of the Earth. What a man, who sets high standards, he loves his family, he loves this university, he loves his country, and my mother and dad love him. Coach, thanks for coming. Proud you're here. President George W. Bush during a 2005 address on the Penn State Campus President George H.W. Bush visited the Penn State campus during his term. Paterno seconded Bush s nomination at the 1988 Republican National Convention. Presenting President Ronald Reagan with a No. 1 jersey was a pleasure for Paterno during the Nittany Lions visit to the White House following the 1986 National Championship season. President Gerald Ford visited the Penn State campus in 1978 following his term in office. Paterno presented him with a ball from the Nittany Lions 1978 team that went 11-1. high there. The kids practice extremely hard. I don t care whether you are bringing in a free agent or a first-round draft choice, those kids know how to work. Nine times out of 10, you ll never have any problem with those kids off the field. Significant as it is, Paterno s football portfolio offers but a glimpse of his multi-faceted personality. He has taken on duties away from the field with the same sense of purpose and ambition. The Paternos have won wide admiration for their philanthropy. Their $3.5 million gift, in conjunction with their volunteer service to Penn State, make the Paternos a unique couple among colleges and universities nationwide. Their pledge is believed to be the most generous gift ever made by a collegiate coach and his family to a university. The Paterno gift endows faculty positions and scholarships in the College of the Liberal Arts, the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, the University Libraries and supported two building projects on the University Park campus the interfaith Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, which opened in 2003, and the Penn State All-Sports Museum, which opened in 2002. Penn State has been very good to both Sue and me, Paterno said at the time of their 1998 gift. We have met some wonderful people here, we ve known many students who have gone on to become outstanding leaders in their professions and in society, and all of our children have received a first class education here. I ve never felt better about Penn State and its future potential than I do right now. Sue and I want to do all we can to help the University reach that potential. I have a theory that Joe coaches not so much for what he can do for football as for what he can do for the easily surpassing the initial and revised goals of $800 million and $1.3 billion. Joe and Sue Paterno established the Paterno Libraries Endowment in 1984 with gifts totaling $120,000. Subsequent contributions have pushed the Endowment s total to $4 million. I ve said it a hundred times, Paterno stated at the time the drive began, a great library is the heart of a great university, and if we want to remain a big-league university, we ve got to have a big-league library. Sue and Joe Paterno are legendary at this institution, not only because of the notable and consistent success of the Nittany Lions, but also because of the values they have espoused over the years, former president Joab Thomas said at the time the Board of Trustees decision was announced to name the new library wing after the first family of Penn State football. Family, learning, loyalty and commitment are prominent among those values. This new library will stand as an appropriate tribute to all that they have done for Penn State. Paterno also was a donor and committee member for the campaign to build the Bryce Jordan Center and committed $250,000 to the drive to construct the Penn State All-Sports Museum, which was part of the seventh Beaver Stadium expansion project since he became head coach. The icon of college coaching has elevated Penn State football to a level matched by only a very few. And, since the day he arrived on the campus as a fresh-faced assistant on Rip Engle s new staff, Paterno has proven winning and educating are not mutually exclusive goals. The wisdom of Paterno s total person approach to football which addresses academic and lifestyle mat- 1987 1990 Paterno records his 200th victory with a 45-19 decision over Bowling Green on September 5. Paterno s 25th season as head coach is highlighted by a last-second 24-21 win at No. 1 Notre Dame on November 17. 1991 1993 Paterno becomes the first active college coach to receive the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Distinguished American Award. In its first game as a member of the Big Ten Conference, Penn State defeats Minnesota, 38-20, on September 4 in Beaver Stadium. 1994 Trailing 21-0 in the first quarter, Penn State rallies to win at Illinois, 35-31, on November 12, clinching the Nittany Lions first Big Ten Championship. The comeback is the largest under Paterno. 136
ters in addition to athletic prowess has won almost universal endorsement from the products of the system....i can tell you that virtually all of the players he s touched in fifty years as an assistant and head coach have been enriched by the experience, former quarterback Todd Blackledge said in the forward to Quotable Joe, a book of quotations by and about Paterno. I consider myself, and I know my teammates and Penn State players past and present feel likewise, a better person for having played for Joe Paterno. LaVar Arrington was a two-time All-America and won the 1999 Butkus Award as the nation s top linebacker as well as the Maxwell Club s Chuck Bednarik Award, presented to the top collegiate defensive player. If you re not a man when you get there, you ll be a man before you leave, Arrington said of his Penn State experience....joe has his system so that you re prepared for life. Joe trains you more mentally than physically so that nothing will rattle you. Ex-All-America linebacker Matt Millen, now president and CEO of the Detroit Lions and a former analyst on Fox Network telecasts of NFL games, is of the opinion the main thing Joe gives you is perspective. He s a teacher. He does more than football stuff. He s always giving you these little speeches, and after a while you hear them so often and understand them and they re pretty true. Paterno has developed 61 student-athletes who have earned first-team All-America honors a total of 74 times, including linebacker Dan Connor in 2007. Three of his many NFL players linebacker Jack Ham, fullback Franco Harris and guard Mike Munchak have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ham, defensive tackle Mike Reid, tight end Ted Kwalick, linebacker Dennis Onkotz, tackle Keith Dorney and running backs John Cappelletti and Lydell Mitchell are in the Hall of Fame. Paterno s enshrinement into the College Football Hall of Fame marks the second time the National Football Foundation has demonstrated his unique impact and standing on college football. In December 1991, Paterno became the first active coach ever to receive the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Distinguished American Award. Since the award was instituted in 1966, it had never been presented to an active college coach. Other past winners include the late General James Van Fleet, Hollywood s Bob Hope and Jimmy Stewart, former Notre Dame President Theodore Hesburgh, the late NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and captains of industry such as John Galbreath, Sonny Werblin and Leon Hess. Two deceased former coaches Vince Lombardi and Dave Nelson are previous winners, although neither was active when honored. Tom Osborne of Nebraska received the award in 1995, then the second active coach to be cited. Not necessarily presented on an annual basis, the award is made on those occasions when a person emerges who over a long period of time has exhibited ALL-TIME VICTORIES 1. 373 Bobby Bowden (active) 2. 372 (active) 3. 323 Paul Bear Bryant 4. 319 Glenn Pop Warner 5. 314 Amos Alonzo Stagg Minimum 10 years as a Division I-A head coach; record at four-year colleges only; bowl games included. leadership and who has made significant contributions to the betterment of amateur football in America. President George Bush, honored with the Foundation s Gold Medal on the same evening, said in a letter to the more than 1,000 guests at New York s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel: Throughout his tenure at Penn State, Joe Paterno has led his Nittany Lions in smart, aggressive, team-oriented football. As their plain white jerseys and blue numbers attest, they re not a flashy bunch. But at the conclusion of each collegiate season, they re invariably among the top teams in the country. Most importantly, at the end of their college careers Joe s players have learned those valuable lessons of character and moral conduct that typify Coach Paterno himself. Another former president, the late Ronald Reagan, characterized Paterno as a person who has never forgotten that he is a teacher who s preparing his students not just for the season, but for life. As one almost could expect, Paterno sees his role as larger than merely charting x s and o s on a chalkboard. What are coaches? Paterno said in his acceptance speech at the 1991 Hall of Fame dinner. Number one, we re teachers and we re educators. We have the same obligations as all teachers at our institutions, except we probably have more influence over our young people than anyone other than their families....we re dealing with emotions; we re dealing with commitment; we re dealing with discipline, and loyalty, and pride. The things that make a difference in a person s life pride, loyalty and commitment are the things that NITTANY LION F O O T B A L L SUCCESS WITH HONOR The Paterno Era Highlights 1966-2007 1966: 5-5 Penn State overcame early-season losses at Michigan State and UCLA to post a.500 record. The Nittany Lions were out-scored, 208-193, for the first of only five times in the Paterno Era. QB Tom Sherman led the offense, passing for 943 yards, after starting the season as a DHB. 1967: 8-2-1 Rankings: 10th AP, 11th UPI Bowl: Gator/Florida State, T 17-17 The Lions lost LB Mike Reid and HB Bob Campbell to knee surgery, but reckless defense and QB Tom Sherman, who set six offensive records, led Penn State. TE Ted Kwalick won All-America honors. 1968: 11-0 Rankings: 2nd AP, 3rd UPI Bowl: Orange/Kansas, W 15-14 Penn State posted the only 11-0 record in the country with a last-minute Orange Bowl win. TE Ted Kwalick and LB Dennis Onkotz won All-America honors. The Rover Boys led the defense, which scored or set up 145 of Penn State s 339 points. 1969: 11-0 Rankings: 2nd AP, 2nd UPI Bowl: Orange/Missouri, W 10-3 Joe Paterno summed up the season as pride and poise." The key game was the 15-14 win at Syracuse in which the Lions trailed 14-0 in the final quarter. LB Dennis Onkotz, DT Mike Reid, S Neal Smith and HB Charlie Pittman won All- America honors. 1970: 7-3 Penn State won its last five games with sophomore QB John Hufnagel leading the offense after a 2-3 start. The Lions 31-game unbeaten streak ended at Colorado (41-13). LB Jack Ham won All-America honors. 1971: 11-1 Rankings: 5th AP, 11th UPI Bowl: Cotton/Texas, W 30-6 Penn State rebounded from a regular-season ending defeat at Tennessee with a decisive Cotton Bowl win over Texas. HB Lydell Mitchell, who rushed for 1,547 yards, T Dave Joyner and LB Charlie Zapiec were All-Americans. 1972: 10-2 Rankings: 8th UPI, 10th AP Bowl: Sugar/Oklahoma, L 0-14 The Lions lost only the opener at Tennessee and the Sugar Bowl to Oklahoma. The offense averaged more than 400 yards behind TB John Cappelletti and QB John Hufnagel. Hufnagel, DE Bruce Bannon and LB John Skorupan won All-America honors. 1994 1995 Against Wisconsin on September 30, Paterno is involved in his 500th game as a member of the Penn State coaching staff. Paterno becomes the first coach ever to win all four major bowl games, and the winningest bowl coach, as Penn State caps a 12-0 season with a victory over Oregon in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1995. 1995 1996 The Nittany Lions improve to 6-0 at the Fiesta Bowl on January 1, 1997, in Paterno s 522nd game of the 1,044 Penn State has played to that point. Joe and Sue Paterno become grandparents for the first time when eldest daughter Diana gives birth to Brian Andrew Giegerich on October 13. 1997 Groundbreaking for the $34.4 million Paterno Library addition to Pattee Library on the University Park campus takes place on April 25. 137
NITTANY LION F O O T B A L L 1973: 12-0 Rankings: 5th AP, 5th UPI Bowl: Orange/LSU, W 16-9 For the third time in six years, Penn State completed a perfect season in the Orange Bowl. Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti rushed for more than 200 yards in three straight games, an NCAA record at the time. Two All- Americans, DT Randy Crowder and LB John Skorupan, anchored the defense. 1974: 10-2 Rankings: 7th AP, 7th UPI Bowl: Cotton/Baylor, W 41-20 Penn State rallied for five of its 10 wins, atoning for narrow losses to Navy and North Carolina State with a decisive Cotton Bowl win over Baylor. DT Mike Hartenstine and T John Nessel won All-America honors. SUCCESS WITH HONOR 1975: 9-3 Rankings: 10th AP, 10th UPI Bowl: Sugar/Alabama, L 6-13 Defense and kicking highlighted the season. K Chris Bahr, LB Greg Buttle and G Tom Rafferty won All-America honors. The Lions lost, 17-9, at Ohio State and were upset against North Carolina State, but rebounded to take part in the first Sugar Bowl played in the Superdome. 1976: 7-5 Bowl: Gator/Notre Dame, L 9-20 Penn State lost three straight games for the first time in Joe Paterno s 11 seasons, before rallying to end the year with six consecutive wins. LB Kurt Allerman was an All-America pick. 1977: 11-1 Rankings: 4th UPI, 5th AP Bowl: Fiesta/Arizona State, W 42-30 Only a 24-20 loss to Kentucky kept Penn State from an undefeated season. QB Chuck Fusina led the offense, passing for 2,221 yards. T Keith Dorney and MG Randy Sidler won All-America honors. 1978: 11-1 Rankings: 4th AP, 4th UPI Bowl: Sugar/Alabama, L 7-14 Penn State achieved its first No. 1 ranking, before losing to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. K Matt Bahr, who booted a then-ncaa record 22 field goals, T Keith Dorney, DT Matt Millen, DT Bruce Clark, QB Chuck Fusina and S Pete Harris were All-America selections. 1979: 8-4 Rankings: 18th UPI, 20th AP Bowl: Liberty/Tulane, W 9-6 The young Lions, with only six seniors starting in the Liberty Bowl, rallied for Penn State s 41st consecutive non-losing season. FB Matt Suhey led the offense, rushing for 973 yards. DT Bruce Clark won All-America honors, but was injured the last half of the season. make a difference in this country. We re teaching them the realities of the competitive life. Endorsement of Paterno s methods have been apparent in a variety of surveys. In 2004, he was recognized twice for his impact on college football. He was selected the second-best college football coach of all-time by a panel of more than 300 media, current and former football coaches, Heisman Trophy winners and members of the College Football Hall of Fame. Paterno also was chosen the nation s best college football coach of the past 25 years by an ESPN25 expert panel in 2004. He finished No. 8 overall in the listing of college and professional coaches from all sports over the past 25 years. In a 2000 survey by Bloomberg News of Division I-A head coaches, Paterno was selected the nation s best coach. The kind of success the Nittany Lions have achieved hasn t blurred Paterno s vision of what s right about college athletics. Just winning is a silly reason to be serious about a game, he said in his autobiography, Paterno: By the Book. For a kid still in school, devotion to winning football games at nearly any cost may cripple his mind for life. Institutions of higher learning don t have the moral right to exploit and mislead inexperienced kids that way. The purpose of college football is to serve education, Paterno said, not the other way around. I hound my players to get involved. Ten years from now I want them to look back on college as a wonderful time of expanding themselves not just four years of playing football. Paterno s support of scholarship and his creative and compelling views on sports and education have been widely recognized. He has been a frequent witness at Congressional hearings and he appeared before the Knight Commission. He delivered the Penn State spring commencement address in 1973 and is the recipient of three honorary degrees Doctor of Laws from Brown, Doctor of Humane Letters from Gettysburg College and Doctor of Laws from Allegheny College. In 1991, Paterno was inducted as an honorary member of the Penn State chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, the national classics society, which honors excellence in the study of the ancient Greeks and Romans. We wanted to honor him for two reasons, Michele Ronnick, a classics professor said. One, for the wonderful library fund he established...and also for his abiding love of Virgil. I don t imagine there is another football coach in the country who can say that he s read the Aeneid in Latin and loved it. He is truly unique. In 1994, Paterno received the Ernie Davis Award, presented by the Leukemia Society of America and named in honor of the late Syracuse All-America and Heisman Trophy winner. Paterno was the first coach to receive the award. The Sons of Italy Foundation awarded Paterno its National Education and Leadership Award in 1996. In 1997, Michigan State University presented its Duffy Daugherty Memorial Award, named for the Spartans legendary late head coach, to Paterno in recognition of his outstanding contributions to college football. Paterno received the Vince Lombardi Foundation Coach-of-the-Year Award presented by the Lombardi Foundation in 1998, for service to college football. With his success has come a certain celebrity, which Paterno tolerates although he often finds it disruptive to his coaching persona. He is widely sought as a speaker for clinics and banquets and has appeared in magazine, newspaper and radio/television advertisements for companies like Milano Bread, TIAA-CREF and Burger King. Paterno has been generous to charitable causes, as well, including the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association, which honored him in June 2008. 1997 1998 A 30-27 win at Northwestern is Penn State s 400th victory since Paterno joined the coaching staff in 1950. Joe and Sue Paterno give Penn State a $3.5 million gift to endow faculty positions and scholarships and to support two building projects, bringing the cumulative amount of their gifts to the University to more than $4 million. 1998 Paterno becomes just the sixth coach in NCAA history to win 300 games with a 48-3 victory over Bowling Green. 2001 Paterno oversees the seventh expansion of Beaver Stadium during his tenure, bringing capacity to 107,282, the second-largest in the nation. 138
He and Sue have been heavily involved with the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Summer Games, held annually in June on the Penn State campus. In May 2008, the Paternos were inducted into the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. Paterno was the first football coach ever named by Sports Illustrated as its Sportsman-of-the-Year, in 1986, and just the second college coach cited for the honor (UCLA basketball coach John Wooden was the other). Paterno had another unique experience in 1992 when he attended the dedication of the Joe Paterno Child Development Center on the Beaverton, Ore., campus of Nike, Inc. Nike said Paterno s career demonstrates that a teacher s caring concern for each student s development is the key to unlocking each student s potential. His folk hero reputation in Central Pennsylvania has spawned an entire line of Paterno products, including coffee mugs ( Cup of Joe ), life-size cardboard cutouts ( Stand-up Joe ), the Paterno bean bag buddy, JoePa Christmas ornaments and golf balls with his familiar face ( like the Penn State offense, three out of four guaranteed to go up the middle ). The life-size Paterno cutout shows up at wedding receptions, birthday and anniversary parties and nearly was in a police lineup. Startled by a silhouette in a vacationing neighbor s home, a high school student summoned police, who surrounded the house, only to find the prowler was a Stand-up Joe. Paterno has written two books Football My Way with Gordon White and the late Merv Hyman and Paterno: By the Book with the late Bernie Asbell and at least three others have been written about him The Paterno Legacy with the staff of the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette; No Ordinary Joe by Michael O Brien and Quotable Joe, a compilation of quotes by and about Paterno by L. Budd Thalman that was released in 2001. Paterno s thick glasses, rolled-up pants legs and white athletic socks have become signatures every bit as familiar to the Penn State faithful as the McDonald s golden arches or the Nike swoosh. So, too, are the Nittany Lions conservative uniforms, with the high-top black shoes, white helmets bereft of logos, and plain jerseys without the players names on the back. I don t think our uniforms look that bad, he says. I think they say something to kids about team-oriented play and an austere approach to life. Born on 18th Street in Brooklyn, on December 21, 1926, the first-born of Angelo and Florence Paterno remembers his old neighborhood as a place where playing daily at sports was our work: not only touch football but also punchball and stickball... Paterno went to St. Edmond s Grammar School and Brooklyn Prep high school where he played as a senior on the best Catholic-school team in the city. Brooklyn Prep s only loss was to St. Cecilia of Englewood, N.J., coached by a young Vince Lombardi. I had a sense that this young man had read far Joe Paterno introduced legendary Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jack Ham at his NFL Hall of Fame induction in 1988. Ham is one of three NFL Hall of Fame players Paterno has coached at Penn State. ALL-TIME BOWL WINNING PERCENTAGE Bobby Dodd Georgia Tech.692 9-4-0 Penn State.691 23-10-1 Don James Washington.667 10-5-0 Bobby Bowden Florida State.661 20-10-1 Terry Donahue UCLA.654 8-4-1 Minimum 12 games. Rip Engle (left) lured his ex-brown University quarterback (right) to State College as a temporary stop on the way to law school. beyond his years, the late Father Thomas Bermingham, one of his high school teachers, said, and was still reading on his own. I called him after class and I said, Joseph, I can t make you but I would love to have you do much more than the rest of the class. And, typical Joe Paterno, he jumped at that chance. From Brooklyn Prep, Paterno, after serving the final year of World War II in the U.S. Army, accepted an athletic scholarship to Brown University....probably because of NITTANY LION F O O T B A L L SUCCESS WITH HONOR 1980: 10-2 Rankings: 8th AP, 8th UPI Bowl: Fiesta/Ohio State, W 31-19 Penn State used a second-half rally against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl to cap the season. The Nittany Lions played one of the toughest schedules in the country with six foes taking part in bowl games. T Bill Dugan and G Sean Farrell won All-America honors. 1981: 10-2 Rankings: 3rd AP, 3rd UPI Bowl: Fiesta/Southern Cal, W 26-10 Penn State faced the nation s most difficult schedule and ended the season with consecutive wins over Notre Dame, No. 1 Pittsburgh and Southern Cal. The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 1 themselves before losses at Miami (Fla.) and Alabama. G Sean Farrell and TB Curt Warner were All- America selections. 1982: 11-1 National Champions Rankings: 1st AP, 1st UPI Bowl: Sugar/Georgia, W 27-23 Penn State captured its first National Championship by running off seven straight victories after a mid-season loss at Alabama and defeating Georgia, 27-23, in the Sugar Bowl. TB Curt Warner, FLK Kenny Jackson, DE Walker Lee Ashley and S Mark Robinson earned All-America honors, while Todd Blackledge won the Davey O Brien Award as the nation s top quarterback. 1983: 8-4-1 Rankings: 17th UPI Bowl: Aloha/Washington, W 13-10 Penn State rallied from an 0-3 start to post eight wins and a tie in the final 10 games, including a victory over Washington in the Aloha Bowl. An opening-day loss to topranked Nebraska was crushing, but the Lions bounced back to beat undefeated and Top 5 ranked Alabama and West Virginia and tied Pittsburgh on the final play of the game. FLK Kenny Jackson earned All-America honors. 1984: 6-5 Penn State dropped the final two games of the season, after a thrilling 37-30 win over the Doug Flutie-led Boston College Eagles at Beaver Stadium, to post a 6-5 record. The Lions did not participate in a bowl game for the first time since 1970. 1985: 11-1 Rankings: 3rd AP, 3rd UPI Bowl: Orange/Oklahoma, L 10-25 Penn State played in its third National Championship game in eight years. The Nittany Lions won every game by less than seven points until the seventh week of the season, relying on defense and kicking for their success. LB Shane Conlan and Hero Michael Zordich received All-America honors. 2001 Paterno becomes the all-time NCAA Division I-A career victory leader as he posts his 324th win with a 29-27 victory over Ohio State. 2002 Paterno coaches three first-team All-Americans in Larry Johnson (TB), Michael Haynes (DE) and Jimmy Kennedy (DT) and they are joined by Bryant Johnson (WR) as first-round NFL Draft choices. 2003 Paterno joins the short list of national icons whose image has adorned the Wheaties box. 2005 Paterno leads the Nittany Lions to an 11-1 record, a share of the Big Ten championship and a victory over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. The Lions register at least 10 victories under Paterno in a fifth decade and he is the consensus National Coach-of-the-Year. 139
NITTANY LION F O O T B A L L 1986: 12-0 National Champions Rankings: 1st AP, 1st UPI Bowl: Fiesta/Miami (Fla.), W 14-10 Penn State won its second National Championship by defeating top-ranked and unbeaten Miami (Fla.) in the Fiesta Bowl. The Nittany Lions had close calls against Cincinnati, Maryland and Notre Dame, but were unbeaten in the regular-season for the second straight year and played in their fourth National Championship game in nine seasons. LB Shane Conlan, T Chris Conlin, RB D.J. Dozier and DT Tim Johnson were All- America picks. 1987: 8-4 Bowl: Citrus/Clemson, L 10-35 The Nittany Lions opened the season by presenting Joe Paterno with his 200th coaching victory, a 45-19 win over Bowling Green. The regular-season ended with the Lions stopping a two-point conversion try to beat Notre Dame, 21-20, at Beaver Stadium. Junior G Steve Wisniewski was an All-America selection. 1988: 5-6 Off to a fast start with four victories in their first five games, the Lions were a luckless team in the final six weeks, beating only Maryland. Narrow losses to Rutgers (5 points), Alabama (5) and Pittsburgh (7) left the Lions under.500 for the first time since 1938. Pressed into service by injuries, Tony Sacca became the first true" freshman to start at quarterback in the Paterno Era. G Steve Wisniewski won All-America honors for the second consecutive year. 1989: 8-3-1 Rankings: 14th UPI, 15th AP Bowl: Holiday/Brigham Young, W 50-39 After dropping the opener to Virginia, the Lions won six of the next seven games, a string interrupted only by a blocked field goal attempt on the final play in a one-point loss to Alabama. Ray Tarasi hit a last-second field goal to beat Pittsburgh, 16-13. TB Blair Thomas and ILB Andre Collins were All-Americas and among the finalists for the Heisman and Butkus awards, respectively. 1990: 9-3 Rankings: 10th UPI, 11th AP Bowl: Blockbuster/Florida State, L 17-24 After losing to Texas and Southern Cal to open the season, Penn State won nine consecutive games and a berth in the inaugural Blockbuster Bowl. The Lions shut out Alabama at Tuscaloosa, limiting Alabama to its lowest rushing output (six yards) in history. The Lions also upset No. 1 Notre Dame, 24-21, on Craig Fayak s 34-yard field goal in the final minute at South Bend. 1991: 11-2 Rankings: 3rd AP, 3rd UPI, 3rd USA Today/CNN, 3rd N.Y. Times Computer Bowl: Fiesta/Tennessee, W 42-17 Penn State won its final six games to annex its 21st Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy. For the second straight year, the Lions lost at Southern Cal, 21-10. The other loss was at Miami (Fla.) in a battle that went down to the final minute. Tony Sacca and Terry Smith set passing and receiving records for an offense that totaled the most yards (5,098) in school history to that point. For the first time since 1982, Penn State gained more yards throwing (a then-record 2,642) than running (2,456). Hero Darren Perry received All-America honors. SUCCESS WITH HONOR my unimpressive height and weight, the Paterno doorstep wasn t over-run with college scouts, he said. But, under the fatherly Rip Engle at Brown, Paterno blossomed into the heady quarterback of the Bears football team. Teaming with his younger brother, George, the Paternos were instrumental in Brown posting an 8-1 record in 1949 and becoming an Eastern powerhouse. Legendary sportswriter Stanley Woodward once described Paterno, who still holds the Brown career interception record (14), as a quarterback who can t run, can t pass just thinks and wins. In addition to his role in the rushing and passing offenses, Paterno also returned punts and kickoffs, posting career averages of 8.8 and 20.1 yards, respectively. He had a 69- yard punt return for a touchdown to beat Holy Cross in 1949. Paterno also played two seasons of basketball at Brown (his freshman coach was the late Pro Football Hall of Fame legend Weeb Ewbank). Brown paid homage to its skinny ex-quarterback in 1993 when it named one of its major athletic awards in his honor. The coach attended a banquet in Providence to present the first Joe Paterno Outstanding Male Freshman Athlete Award. After his senior football season, Paterno took an Engle offer to work on a part-time basis with the Brown quarterbacks while awaiting graduation. He had been accepted into the Boston University law school where he intended to follow the career path of his father, who went to night-school to earn his law degree, passing the bar exam at age 44. Everything was set, Paterno said, until I got a surprising phone call from Rip Engle in Pennsylvania. He told me that his contract (to be the new head coach at Penn State) allowed him to bring one assistant coach. Rip astonished me by asking me to take the job. After 16 years as an Engle assistant, Paterno was appointed head coach on February 19, 1966, a day after his friend and benefactor announced his retirement. In the 58 years since he arrived in Happy Valley, Paterno has turned aside many opportunities to leave, the most publicized a famous courtship by the Boston Patriots in the early 1970s. Explaining his decision to spurn the pros, Paterno told graduates in his 1973 commencement address: Money alone will not make you happy. Success without honor is an unseasoned dish. It will satisfy your hunger, but it won t taste good. Joe is everything that the word passive isn t, former athletic director and longtime friend Jim Tarman said. Ever since I ve known Joe, assistant coach through now, he used to get up every morning, jump out of bed, and ask, What can I do to make Penn State football, and Penn State, better today? And, he expected everybody around him to do that. Paterno married the former Suzanne Pohland of Latrobe, Pa., in 1962. She s a Penn State graduate, Class of 62, and was honored in 2004 with the Penn State Distinguished Alumni Award, the University s highest honor. They have five children, all of whom are Penn State graduates: daughters, Mrs. Diana Giegerich and Mrs. Mary Kathryn Hort, and sons, David, Jay (Joseph Jr.) and George Scott, a 2001 graduate of The Dickinson School of Law of The Pennsylvania State University. The Paternos have 16 grandchildren: Brian Andrew Giegerich, born in October 1995; Olivia Suzanne Hort, born in July 1996; Matthew Thomas Giegerich, born in May 1997; Robert Joseph Hort, born in January 1999; Sophia Nicole Paterno, born in April 1999; twins Joseph Vincent Paterno III and Caroline Arlene Paterno, born in January 2000; Sarah Katherine Paterno, born in June 2000; Christopher Paterno Hort, born in November 2000; Elizabeth Kathryn Paterno, born in July 2002; Nicole Suzanne Giegerich, born in August 2002; August David Paterno, born in June 2003; Jonathan Graybill Paterno, born in February 2004; Zachary Michael Paterno, born in May 2004; Paul Angelo Paterno, born in January 2006 and Virginia Suzanne Paterno, born in August 2007. Sportswriter Jim Caple of the Minneapolis Star & Tribune summed up Paterno s success:...he earned his titles in 1982 and 1986, and also earned something more important along the way the respect of the sporting world. While the rest of college football decays around him, Paterno remains a class act. He wins and he does it the right way. His players do not taunt, strut or dance..they merely win. And they graduate. The late Father Bermingham, Paterno s high school mentor, offered a touching retrospective on the man he first knew as a student at Brooklyn Prep: The Father gave me the sense that I was being handed a treasure. Joe is a treasure... Giving Back To The University & Community Joe and Sue Paterno have made significant financial contributions to help build the Paterno Library (left), which opened in the summer of 1999, and the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center (right), dedicated in May 2003, as well as contributing countless hours for numerous community and statewide charity events and causes. 140
1992: 7-5 Rankings: 24th UPI, 24th USA Today/CNN Bowl: Blockbuster/Stanford, L 3-24 Penn State sailed into its midseason game with defending National Champion Miami (Fla.) with a perfect 5-0 record and a No. 5 national ranking. After suffering a disappointing 17-14 loss to the Hurricanes in a game the Lions dominated statistically, Penn State struggled over the final five weeks of the regular-season and in the Blockbuster Bowl with Stanford. The Lions restored some roar in the season-finale with a 57-13 win over rival Pittsburgh. O.J. McDuffie was an All-America and set or tied 15 school receiving, returning and all-purpose yardage records. 1993: 10-2 Rankings: 7th UPI, 7th USA Today/CNN, 8th AP Bowl: Citrus/Tennessee, W 31-13 After 106 years as an independent, Penn State s inaugural season in the Big Ten Conference began 5-0, but losses to Michigan and Ohio State knocked the Nittany Lions out of Rose Bowl contention. Penn State rebounded to win its final four regular-season contests, including a 38-37 victory at Michigan State which produced the school s biggest comeback in 28 years. For the second time in three years, Penn State and Tennessee battled in a bowl game, with the Lions claiming a Citrus Bowl win to give Joe Paterno his 15th post-season victory, tying him with Bear Bryant for the all-time lead. DT Lou Benfatti was a first-team All-America. 1994: 12-0 (Big Ten Champions) Rankings: 2nd AP, 2nd UPI, 2nd USA Today/CNN, 1st N.Y. Times Computer Bowl: Rose/Oregon, W 38-20 The Nittany Lions captured their first Big Ten and Rose Bowl championships with a 12-0 campaign, the third in school history. Penn State was ranked No. 2 in the final polls after three weeks at No. 1 in mid-season. The Rose Bowl win was Joe Paterno s 16th in bowl games, making him the all-time leader in bowl wins. He also became the first coach to garner victories in the four traditional major bowl games. TE Kyle Brady, TB Ki-Jana Carter, QB Kerry Collins, WR Bobby Engram and G Jeff Hartings were first-team All-Americans, the squad s most since 1978. Penn State compiled its fifth unbeaten, untied season under Paterno and became the first Big Ten team to record a perfect season since Ohio State in 1968. The squad extended its winning streak to 17 games, the longest in the nation. The Lions led the country in scoring (47.8 ppg.) and total offense (520.2 ypg.) and broke 14 team and 19 individual school records, three Big Ten and nine bowl records. 1995: 9-3 Rankings: 12th UPI, 12th USA Today/CNN, 13th AP Bowl: Outback/Auburn, W 43-14 Stung by consecutive home losses to Wisconsin, which snapped a 20-game winning streak, and Ohio State, the Nittany Lions won six of their final seven games, capped by a victory over Auburn in the Outback Bowl. Joe Paterno coached in his 500th game as a member of the Penn State staff against Wisconsin. QB Wally Richardson led the Lions to a quartet of fourth-quarter victories and set a school season record with 193 completions. Three-time All-America WR Bobby Engram finished his career with 12 school records. G Jeff Hartings became Penn State s 10th two-time firstteam All-American and only the fourth Nittany Lion to twice earn GTE/CoSIDA first-team Academic All-America honors. Ten players were selected in the NFL draft, the most of any school in the nation and the second-highest total in school history. 1996: 11-2 Rankings: 7th AP, 7th USA Today/CNN Bowl: Fiesta/Texas, W 38-15 The Nittany Lions began and ended the season with resounding victories over Southern California and Texas in the Kickoff Classic and Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, respectively, to earn their 12th 11-win season under Joe Paterno. Penn State played in a New Year s Day bowl for the sixth consecutive season and improved to 6-0 in the Fiesta Bowl, extending its non-conference winning streak to 17. The Texas game was Paterno s 522nd contest on the staff, exactly half of Penn State s games all-time. The senior class compiled a 42-7 career record, the second-highest number of victories in a four-year span in school history. The Lions finished in the Top 10 for the 20th time under Paterno. Fourteen true freshmen saw action. S Kim Herring was an All-American. 1997: 9-3 Rankings: 16th AP, 17th USA Today/ESPN Bowl: Citrus/Florida, L 6-21 Penn State won at least nine games for the 21st time and gained its 25th Top 20 ranking under Joe Paterno, while also playing in its seventh consecutive New Year s day bowl game. The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason poll for the first time and were ranked No. 1 on two occasions for a total of four weeks, falling from the top spot both times after victories. Boosted by a 31-27 comeback win over Ohio State, Penn State took a 7-0 record into a showdown with unbeaten Michigan, which the Wolverines won. TB Curtis Enis was selected a first-team Associated Press All-American and the Big Ten Offensive Playerof-the-Year and was the fifth player chosen in the 1998 NFL Draft. 1998: 9-3 Rankings: 15th USA Today/ESPN, 17th AP Bowl: Outback/Kentucky, W 26-14 A team which featured only five senior starters peaked at season s end with victories over Michigan State and Kentucky in the Outback Bowl. The season was highlighted by Joe Paterno s 300th career victory, a 48-3 win over Bowling Green on Sept. 12, as he became the sixth coach in NCAA history to reach the milestone. The defense was ranked among the top 12 in all four team statistical categories and didn t permit a runner to gain 100 yards. OLB LaVar Arrington was a first-team All-American and the first sophomore to be named Big Ten Defensive Player-of-the-Year. 1999: 10-3 Rankings: 11th AP, 11th USA Today/ESPN Bowl: Alamo/Texas A&M, W 24-0 The Nittany Lions won at least 10 games for the 18th time under Joe Paterno to gain their 24th Top 15 finish. Paterno moved into third place on the all-time wins list among major college coaches with the Lions 31-25 victory at Purdue. The Lions took a 9-0 record and the nation s No. 2 ranking into November, but a Minnesota field goal on the last play of the game began a threegame losing streak by a combined total of 12 points. In the Alamo Bowl, Penn State dominated Texas A&M, 24-0, the Lions first bowl shutout in 40 years. OLB LaVar Arrington, DE Courtney Brown and MLB Brandon Short were consensus All-Americans, the first time three Penn State defensive players were so honored since 1978. The Lions 12th two-time All-American, Arrington won the Butkus Award as the nation s top linebacker and the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation s premier defensive player. Brown and Arrington were the first two selections in the 2000 NFL Draft. 2000: 5-7 Penn State won four of its final seven games, but could not overcome a 1-4 start to finish with just its second season under.500 since 1938. One week after freshman Adam Taliaferro suffered a serious spinal injury at Ohio State, the emotion-charged Nittany Lions defeated Big Ten co-champion and Rose Bowl participant Purdue, 22-20. Following consecutive wins over Illinois and Indiana, Penn State played its first overtime game, but lost to Iowa, 26-23, in double-overtime. The Lions began the season by playing in their record fourth Kickoff Classic. FS James Boyd received third-team All-America honors by The Sporting News. 2001: 5-6 The Nittany Lions won five of six games after the first 0-4 start in program history to put themselves one win away from a bowl bid, but lost the season-finale at Virginia to finish with consecutive losing seasons for the first time under Joe Paterno. A 38-35 comeback win at Northwestern on October 20 moved Paterno into a tie with Paul Bear Bryant for career victories among NCAA Division I-A coaches. The following week, Penn State rallied from a 27-9 deficit against Ohio State to win, 29-27, giving Paterno his recordsetting 324th win in the biggest Beaver Stadium comeback in his tenure. Redshirt freshman QB Zack Mills led the Lions to three comeback wins and broke the school record for total offense in a game, compiling 418 yards in the win over the Buckeyes. 2002: 9-4 Rankings: 15th USA Today/ESPN, 16th AP Bowl: Capital One/Auburn, L 9-13 Penn State won at least nine games for the 24th time under Joe Paterno. The Nittany Lions suffered four losses, all by seven points or less, with two in overtime. A 40-7 thumping of Nebraska highlighted the non-conference season and Penn State played in NITTANY LION F O O T B A L L SUCCESS WITH HONOR its 20th New Year s Day bowl game under Paterno. The Lions finished with a flourish behind TB Larry Johnson, who became just the ninth player in NCAA Division I-A history to rush for 2,000 yards in the regular-season. Johnson captured the Maxwell and Walter Camp Player-of-the-Year awards, the Doak Walker Award and was a consensus All-American. Defensive linemen Michael Haynes and Jimmy Kennedy also were first-team All-America picks. The trio was joined by WR Bryant Johnson as first-round selections in the 2003 NFL Draft, with a school-record four Lions chosen in the first round. 2003: 3-9 Penn State lost five games by 10 points or less during a challenging season. The Nittany Lions were not able to hold onto fourthquarter leads against Ohio State and Northwestern that could have turned around the season. The Lions closed the home schedule with a 52-7 win over Indiana on Senior Day. Joe Paterno moved into the top 12 in victories among Big Ten coaches who have coached at least 10 years in the conference. 2004: 4-7 Penn State was the nation s only team to not allow more than 21 points in a game and ranked in the Top 10 in scoring, total and pass defense, recording their best NCAA defensive rankings since starting Big Ten play. Penn State lost five games by 11 points or less, but a defensive stand to preserve a win at Indiana and a Senior Day win over Michigan State provided momentum at the end of the season. QB Zack Mills finished his career owning or sharing 18 school passing and total offense records. 2005: 11-1 (Big Ten Co-Champions) Rankings: 3rd AP, 3rd USA Today/ESPN Bowl: FedEx Orange/Florida State, W 26-23 (3 OT) Penn State garnered its 13th Top 5 finish under Joe Paterno with an 11-1 record and winning a share of the Big Ten Championship. The Nittany Lions capped the year with a 26-23 triple-overtime win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl, matching up Paterno and Bobby Bowden, ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, in victories among major college coaches. DE Tamba Hali and junior LB Paul Posluszny were consensus first-team All-Americans, while T Levi Brown and CB Alan Zemaitis were second-team picks. Posluszny also won the Butkus and Bednarik awards and was a first-team Academic All-American. Senior QB Michael Robinson broke the school season total offense record and was the Big Ten Silver Football (MVP) recipient. 2006: 9-4 Rankings: 24th AP, 25th USA Today/ESPN Bowl: Outback/Tennessee, W 20-10 Penn State defeated No. 17 Tennessee in the Outback Bowl to record its 32nd Top 25 final ranking under Joe Paterno. The Nittany Lions lost to three teams that finished in the Top 10. LB Paul Posluszny became Penn State s career tackles leader with 372 and its 13th two-time first-team All-American. He also was the Academic All-American-of-the-Year and was joined by Tim Shaw as a first-team selection. Posluszny also won the Bednarik Award for the second consecutive year. Junior Dan Connor was a firstteam All-American and a finalist for the Bednarik. Jay Alford, Levi Brown and Jeremy Kapinos also earned Associated Press All- America accolades. Paterno suffered serious leg injuries during a sideline collision at Wisconsin on Nov. 4, but was in the coaches booth for the Michigan State game two weeks later. 2007: 9-4 Ranking: 25th USA Today/ESPN Bowl: Alamo/Texas A&M, W 24-17 Penn State defeated Texas A&M in the Valero Alamo Bowl to earn its 33rd Top 25 final ranking under Joe Paterno. LB Dan Connor won the Bednarik Award and became the 14th Nittany Lion to earn first-team All-America honors twice. He finished his career with a school-record 419 career tackles. In addition to Connor, Jeremy Boone, Maurice Evans, Justin King and A.Q. Shipley were named first-team All-Big Ten. Gerald Cadogan was a first-team Academic All-America. Paterno was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame in December, becoming just the third active coach to be enshrined. The Alamo Bowl was Paterno s 500th game as head coach. 141
NITTANY LION F O O T B A L L SUCCESS WITH HONOR First Overall Opponent Game Record Home Away Neutral Air Force................... 1971 2-0-0 1-0 1-0 0-0 Akron...................... 1999 3-0-0 3-0 0-0 0-0 Alabama................... 1975 4-8-0 2-3 2-3 0-2 Arizona.................... 1999 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Arizona State................ 1977 1-0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 Army...................... 1966 9-1-0 6-0 3-1 0-0 Auburn..................... 1995 1-1-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 Baylor..................... 1975 1-0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 Boston College.............. 1966 16-4-0 8-2 8-2 0-0 Bowling Green............... 1987 2-0-0 2-0 0-0 0-0 Brigham Young.............. 1989 2-1-0 1-0 0-1 1-0 Brown..................... 1984 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Buffalo..................... 2007 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 California................... 1966 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Central Florida............... 2002 2-0-0 2-0 0-0 0-0 Central Michigan............. 2005 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Cincinnati................... 1981 8-1-0 6-1 1-0 1-0 Clemson................... 1988 0-1-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 Colgate.................... 1980 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Colorado................... 1969 1-1-0 1-0 0-1 0-0 East Carolina................ 1985 2-0-0 2-0 0-0 0-0 Eastern Michigan............. 1992 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Florida..................... 1998 0-1-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 Florida International........... 2007 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Florida State................ 1967 1-1-1 0-0 0-0 1-1-1 Georgia.................... 1982 1-0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 Georgia Tech................ 1966 1-1-0 0-0 0-1 1-0 Houston.................... 1977 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Illinois...................... 1972 10-2-0 5-0 5-2 0-0 Indiana..................... 1993 11-0-0 5-0 5-0 1-0 Iowa....................... 1971 11-8-0 4-6 7-2 0-0 Kansas..................... 1969 1-0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 Kansas State................ 1968 2-0-0 1-0 1-0 0-0 Kent State.................. 2003 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Kentucky................... 1975 3-2-0 1-1 1-1 1-0 Louisiana State.............. 1974 1-0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 Louisiana Tech............... 2000 2-0-0 2-0 0-0 0-0 Louisville................... 1996 2-0-0 1-0 1-0 0-0 Maryland................... 1966 24-0-1 13-0 9-0 2-0-1 Miami (Fla.)................. 1967 7-5-0 3-3 3-2 1-0 Michigan................... 1993 3-10-0 1-5 2-5 0-0 Michigan State............... 1966 11-5-0 7-0 4-5 0-0 vs. CONFERENCES Conference W L T Pct. Atlantic Coast............................ 41 5 1 88.3 Big East................................. 23 7 0 76.7 Big Eight................................. 8 6 0 57.1 Big Ten................................. 82 53 0 60.7 Big 12................................... 4 1 0 80.0 Conference USA........................... 5 0 0 100.0 Eastern Independents..................... 120 17 1 87.3 Gateway................................. 1 0 0 100.0 Ivy League............................... 1 0 0 100.0 Mid-American............................ 16 1 0 94.1 National Independents..................... 31 11 1 73.2 Pacific 10................................ 13 6 0 68.4 Southeastern............................. 13 14 0 48.1 Southwest................................ 9 3 0 75.0 Sun Belt................................. 1 0 0 100.0 Western Athletic........................... 4 1 0 80.0 Includes bowl games. VS. OPPONENTS First Overall Opponent Game Record Home Away Neutral Minnesota.................. 1993 6-4-0 3-2 3-2 0-0 Missouri.................... 1970 2-0-0 0-0 1-0 1-0 Navy...................... 1967 6-2-0 3-1 3-1 0-0 Nebraska................... 1979 3-4-0 2-1 1-2 0-1 North Carolina State.......... 1967 12-2-0 8-1 4-1 0-0 Northern Illinois.............. 1996 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Northwestern................ 1993 9-3-0 5-1 4-2 0-0 Notre Dame................. 1976 9-6-0 6-1 3-4 0-1 Ohio State.................. 1975 7-12-0 5-4 1-8 1-0 Ohio U..................... 1967 5-0-0 5-0 0-0 0-0 Oklahoma.................. 1972 0-2-0 0-0 0-0 0-2 Oregon.................... 1995 1-0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 Pittsburgh.................. 1966 23-7-1 11-4 10-1-1 2-2 Purdue..................... 1995 9-2-0 5-1 4-1 0-0 Rutgers.................... 1977 16-1-0 10-1 0-0 6-0 South Florida................ 2005 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Southern California........... 1982 4-3-0 2-0 0-2 2-1 Southern Methodist U......... 1978 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Southern Mississippi.......... 1998 2-0-0 2-0 0-0 0-0 Stanford.................... 1973 4-1-0 3-0 1-0 0-1 Syracuse................... 1966 21-4-0 10-3 10-1 1-0 Temple..................... 1975 24-0-0 14-0 7-0 3-0 Tennessee.................. 1971 3-2-0 0-0 0-2 3-0 Texas...................... 1972 3-2-0 0-1 1-0 2-1 Texas A&M................. 1979 3-1-0 0-1 1-0 2-0 Texas Christian.............. 1971 2-0-0 2-0 0-0 0-0 Texas Tech.................. 1995 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Toledo..................... 2000 0-1-0 0-1 0-0 0-0 Tulane..................... 1979 1-0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 UCLA...................... 1966 1-2-0 0-1 1-1 0-0 Utah State.................. 1977 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Virginia..................... 1988 2-2-0 1-1 1-1 0-0 Wake Forest................. 1974 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Washington................. 1984 1-0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 West Virginia................ 1966 25-2-0 13-0 12-2 0-0 William & Mary.............. 1984 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Wisconsin.................. 1970 5-7-0 3-3 2-4 0-0 Youngstown State............ 2006 1-0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 Totals 372-125-3 208-49 123-61-1 41-15-2 Includes bowl games. 142