Fans gather to show love for JoePa
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. Some came with flowers, cards and candles.
Others brought footballs, photographs and blue and white baseball caps.
Penn State fans of all ages stopped Sunday night at the statue of Joe Paterno next to Beaver Stadium to pay tribute to the iconic football coach who died earlier in the morning at 85 after a bout with lung cancer.
“I grew up blue and white, loving Joe Paterno,” said Jeremy Crouse, a 34-year-old who drove 40 miles Sunday night from Mount Union, Pa., to visit the Paterno statue and attend a vigil on campus. “He’s like a grandfather to me. We all love Joe Paterno. He stands for integrity, honesty. He’s kind of like your grandfather. You want to mold your life after the guy.”
Crouse’s voice cracked as he uttered words written on a card behind the Paterno statue: He was Penn State.
“His life was Penn State,” Crouse said. “His life was making the world a better place. His life was for humanity.”
Crouse said he’ll remember Paterno for what he did for Penn State throughout his career rather than the coach’s final days when he was fired in November by the university’s board of trustees amid a child sex abuse scandal involving former Nittany Lion assistant Jerry Sandusky.
Paterno won more games — 409 — than any coach in major college football. He took the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl games, won two national titles, produced more than 250 NFL players during 61 seasons at Penn State, including 46 as head coach and donated several million dollars to help Penn State’s library and other causes on campus.
“Despite everything that went on lately, he’s still a hero to a lot of people, an icon to a lot of people at this school,” said 33-year-old Penn State graduate Frank Scott, who brought his 22-month-old daughter, Anelaine, to the Paterno statue on Sunday. “It’s unfortunate with the things that happened and his name got dragged down a little bit, but it doesn’t change the person I thought he was.”
More than a dozen television trucks parked in a lot next to Beaver Stadium filming footage of the Paterno shrine. Hundreds gathered Saturday night at the statue upon learning of Paterno’s deteriorating health.
Someone draped an American flag over the shoulder of the Paterno statue and wrapped a blue and white scarf around its neck.
The words on the wall behind the statue came from a Paterno quote: “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 football coach.”
“This gentleman meant so much to this university, this town, this community, it’s hard to put it into words, but he’ll be sadly missed,” 66-year-old State College resident Rich Kyle said. “He’s like family, and I think most people in this community feel that way about him. The events of the last couple months certainly didn’t do the man any justice and I feel he’s been dishonored by a lot of people, especially the media. I thought the media was too hard on harsh on him without knowing the facts and I thought the Board of Trustees was pretty gutless in how they handled it.”
Penn State observed a moment of silence followed by a minute-long ovation for Paterno before Sunday’s wrestling meet against Iowa.
“He was a competitor his whole life, and in a way, this is a celebration because you were competing,” Iowa coach Tom Brands said. “You didn’t postpone, you didn’t cancel and I happen to agree with that; that’s my way of thinking.”
Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson said he only had a couple encounters with Paterno.
“We’re just like the general public,” Sanderson said. “When we think of Joe Paterno, we think of a legendary college football coach, one of the legendary figures in sports in the United States and in the world. I don’t have his number in my cell phone or anything like that. It’s definitely a tragedy for us and the whole university.”
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes Football
Sorry, but Joe Pa is a disgrace… His only concern was for the reputation of his football program and ultimately his own overall win total. You never heard about any of his athletes getting in trouble because he continued to suppress that information, while wielding his power with administration. Just as he did nothing knowing that Jerry Sandusky was abusing children and utilizing his charity as a funnel for future victims. He was arguably the most powerful person at Penn State, and he turned his back on what Jerry Sandusky was doing to protect his own legacy. Remember at one point Jerry Sandusky was being mentioned as the potential successor to Joe Pa, before Jerry decided to up and retire in his prime. And yet Joe Pa and everyone else involved still provided Jerry carte blanche, with keys to Penn States facilities, so Jerry could continue on his grotesque behavior.
Joe Pa’s legacy should not be remembered for what he did, but for what he didn’t do, and that was to protect the children from that monster. I wonder how Joe Pa would have reacted it was one of his grandchildren getting felt up by Jerry in his basement.
If anyone comments, please read the grand jury report before coming to Joe Pa’s defense.
The only good thing that came out of this is that he got fired before he died.
Yeah Joe, you coulda done more.
Report this comment