Joe Paterno deserves to be honored for his years of service to Penn State and to college sports

Jo Pa will be cherished after a life well-live

No one escapes life without encountering defining issues and moments which shape their lives and their legacies. And as it turns out, former Pennsylvania State University head football coach, Joe Paterno was no different from any of the rest of us. Sanctified for years as one of college sports’ iconic leaders, Coach Paterno spent every day of his forty-plus years as the Nittany Lions’ football coach doing what he thought was right for his family, his university, his program and his players. Yet, all the good was somewhat overshadowed near the end of his illustrious career and life by the exposure of one very bad decision. Fair or unfair, that’s the way we roll in this country.

That recognized, with Coach Paterno’s passing Sunday morning following a brief battle with lung cancer, his legacy as a good man and great coach will, and rightfully should, survive for the simple reason that he contributed far, far more to society, a university and to those who came into contact with him than he took away through an obvious miscalculation in judgment by trusting in others to do the right thing. Yes, as he readily admitted in a statement following his unceremonious ouster as Penn State’s head man, he should have done more to bring Jerry Sandusky’s deplorable actions to light.  But here, today, we will choose not to continue to be an even heavier weight on his reputation by piling on. Instead, we elect, while not being ignorant of his shortcomings, to honor Joe Pa for an entire life and career of making a positive impact on so many others.  For us, it is time to forgive Joe Paterno.  

College sports has lost not just a giant coach who rolled up a record number of W’s. More significantly, we all suffer the loss of a man that was the standard bearer for how a college athletic program should be led and run. While some onlookers and pundits will struggle with pushing aside the Jerry Sandusky scandal in relation to Coach Paterno, at National Scouting Report we fondly remember him as an individual to whom we as college scouts could constantly point toward as the very best example of how remaining steadfast to the rules and his convictions can result in high graduation rates, quality teams, productive individuals and championship titles.  Specifically because of Coach Paterno, the university’s football program not only graduated hundreds of solid young men from college and annually fielded highly-competitive squads, but Penn State has the distinct honor of being but one of only two Division I programs never to have been sanctioned by the NCAA for violating its recruiting, academic or playing rules.  The other is Stanford, for the record.  That is a remarkable accomplishment in itself.   

Perhaps more importantly, Joe Paterno offered young college coaches a finely-honed model to emulate. His personal conduct was beyond reproach. His coaching skills were unparalleled. His loyalty was unquestioned. And, his dedication to the education of his players was constant. Coach Paterno was the man in college football. And much like the late John Wooden, UCLA’s legendary head men’s basketball coach, Coach Paterno will forever be remembered as a man whose reach and influence extended well beyond the football field on Saturday afternoons. His personal imprint on college athletics will and, rightfully so, should never be discounted, overlooked or underestimated. He was that rare breed of man who was able, through his good works as a man, coach and philanthropist, to become larger than a mere college football coach. That is something which we all can learn from and strive to achieve.