Joe Paterno Dead at 85

Former Penn State football Coach Paterno has passed away this morning at the age of 85 losing a battle with lung cancer. Paterno was diagnosed shortly after Penn State’s Board of Trustees ousted him Nov. 9 in the aftermath of the child sex abuse charges against former assistant Jerry Sandusky. Paterno had been in the hospital since Jan. 13 for observation but then took a turn for the worse in recent days as the family was called in to be by his side.

I'm sure all the news outlets today will mention Joe Paterno's invovlement in some "alleged" cover up at Penn State, but please do not listen to those reports. The scandal had nothing to do with Penn State Football nor Coach Joe Paterno. And don't believe the storyline that the media is trying desperately to hold onto. I have read the Pennsylvania Attorney General's report. Paterno did what any of us was expected to do. He reported information he resceived from a graduate assistant to those who had the authority on campus to do something about the allegations of abuse. It was not Joe's fault if those individuals failed to do something about it.

There is no doubt in my mind that Paterno will be seen as the greatest college football coach of all time. He did it his way and that was the Penn State way. He ran the cleanest college football program. He molded boys into men. He helped them understand that if they worked hard enough and believed in themselves they could accomplish anything or defeat anybody.

His moto was "Success With Honor". Which is not just a Penn State nor is it a Joe Paterno thing. It's roots are in our Western PA culture. It comes from the simple work ethic of the coal miners, the steel workers, and so on. The simple poetry of simplicity. A hard days work gets the job done. A hard days work can move mountaints. Joe Pa understood this culture and tapped into it. The simple uniforms. The black shoes. Heck all the players needed was a lunch bucket. But in the end this ideal is ours and the dreams of ancestors that came before us. This tragedy cannot take it away from us.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Joe Paterno's family. I just can't imagine what their past couple of months have been like. To see a man who has done so much for Penn State and impacted so many lives get treated that way he did by National media pundits, journalists, and the Penn State Board of Trustees is just tragic. Now Joe Paterno had died without honor and in a perpetual state of disgrace. All should be ashamed of themselves.

I grew up always wanting to be a linebacker and play for Coach Paterno. Even though I only met Joe Paterno once and I never got a shot, he still impacted my life a great deal. Joe Paterno your spirit will always live on in the hearts of Penn State fans. It is a sad day in the Penn State family as we mourn the loss of great person, leader, father, grandfather, husband, legend, mentor, humanitarian and coach. You will never be forgotten. Our prayers and thoughts go out to the Paterno family and friends. Gone but not forgotten. God Bless you Joe. We will miss you!