Joe Paterno

Joe Paterno Dec 21, 1926- Jan 22, 2012

On Sunday January 22, Joe Paterno, affectionately known as JoePa, died from lung cancer at the age of 85. Until November of 2011, Paterno was best known as the winningest Division 1 college football coach with 409 victories. He coached for 61 years at Penn State (46 years as head coach) and was a legend in Happy Valley, PA and around the entire country. His teams won National Championships in 1982 (beat Georgia in the 1983 Sugar Bowl) and again in 1986 (beat Miami in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl.) He won 24 of the 37 bowl games he coached and, in 2007, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The superlatives that could be said about Coach Paterno could fill up a page.

But Coach Paterno became part of a scandal involving sex abuse charges against his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky. Because Paterno was alleged to have been told about the abuse years ago by a graduate assistant and, Paterno failed to report it to police, he was fired by the Board of Trustees. Paterno did report the abuse to the Athletic Director and later to the Director of Business and Finance but, apparently failed to follow up to ensure that one of them reported it to police since he did not report it himself.

The reaction to the news that Paterno had been made aware that Sandusky had abused a boy in a shower and didn't immediately notify police has ranged from seething outrage to unapologetic defense of Paterno's action or lack thereof. Many of Paterno's most loyal fans believe that Paterno should not have been criticized and punished for not going beyond his legal reporting obligation. Others believe that there is no excuse for his lack of more deliberate action.

My question is this. How will Joe Paterno be remembered? His accomplishments as a football coach are nothing short of remarkable. He is 1 of only 3 head coaches of Division 1 (now called FBS) programs to win 400 games. His reputation as a coach and mentor is legendary. He was a strong advocate for athletes to succeed academically and to graduate. But less than 4 months before he died, he was forced out in disgrace by a university he had been a part of for 61 years. Will the sex scandal ultimately be the defining event of Joe Paterno's life? Should it?

Joe Paterno, admittedly made a terrible mistake by not taking more action. Had he taken more action, it is possible some of those boys may have been spared from Sandusky's abuse. Did Paterno have a motive for not doing more? Was he protecting his friend, the football program, his and the university's reputation or did he just assume that what he did was enough? I want to believe it was the latter.

We all make mistakes. Obviously, some mistakes have significantly greater consequences than others. Some follow us for the rest of our lives and are remembered even long after we are gone. A reputation, built over 85 long years, can be irreparably damaged in the blink of an eye. How history remembers Joe Paterno cannot be known at this time. For us, it is a stark reminder that we must make good choices and always strive to do the right thing. While God forgives us for our errors, we still have to live with the earthly consequences.

My condolences go out to his family, friends and all the Penn State faithful in their loss of JoePa.