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Joseph Vincent Paterno (born December 21, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York), nicknamed Joe Pa, has been the headcoach of The Pennsylvania State University's college football team since 1966.
Early Life
Paterno began life as a child of the Depression. He nearly had to leave high school because the tuition of $20 a month was such a burden for his family. In 1944, Paterno graduated from Brooklyn Prep and headed to Brown University to study and play football. There, he was a capable but unspectacular quarterback. He did hone his skills as a leader, which allowed him to go into coaching after graduation in 1950, joining Hall of Famer Rip Engle at Penn State as an assistant coach.
Head Coach at Penn State
Upon Engle's retirement in 1965, Paterno was named coach of the Nittany Lions for the 1966 season. That year his team went 5-5, but the following season he led the Lions to 8 wins and the Gator Bowl. Two years later, in 1968, Paterno had his first undefeated season, and repeated that achievement in 1969. From 1973 to 1983,
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National Championships
Although the 1968, 1969 and 1973 teams went undefeated, it was not until 1978 that Paterno would coach in his first national championship game. The 1978 Nittany Lions cruised through the 1978 regular season at 11-0, but lost to Bear Bryant's Alabama team 14-7 in the Sugar Bowl, when the Crimson Tide stuffed Penn State 4 times in a row at the goal line in one of the most famous goal line stands in college football history. Had the game ended in a tie, Penn State likely would have been crowned national champions, as Alabama had one regular season loss.
He claimed his first national championship in 1982, with a 27-23 Sugar Bowl victory over a Georgia team led by Heisman Trophy winning runningback Herschel Walker. Although Paterno has a reputation as a run-oriented coach, his 1982 team was the first team to win a national championship with more passing yards than rushing yards over the course of a season.
After a disapointing 6-5 record in 1984 and no bowl game, the 1985 squad rebounded with an 11-0 regular season, but lost of Oklahoma in the national championship game played in The Orange Bowl. The senior-dominated 1986 team also went undefeated in the regular season, but this time managed to win the national championship game against Miami of Florida. In the Fiesta Bowl, played on Friday, January 2, 1987, the Nittany Lions defense shutdown and confused Heisman Trophy winning quaterback Vinnie Testaverde, forcing the future NFL signal-caller into 5 interceptions and sacking him 4 times in a 14-10 victory.
1994 Team Denied a National Championship
The 1994 team featured Penn State's best offense of all time, with quarterback Kerry Collins, running backs Ki-Jana Carter, Mike Archy and Steven Pitts, wide receivers Bobby Engram, Freddy Scott and Joe Juvervicius, Tight End Kyle Brady and lineman Jeff Hartings. The 1994 Nittany Lions went undefeated for a fifth time in Paterno's tenure. They were denied the national title, however, finishing second to undefeated Nebraska. In response to being snubbed by pole voters, The General Assembly of Pennsylvania unanimously passed a symbolic proclemation, which was signed by Governor Tom Ridge, declaring Penn State the 1994 college football national champions.
Records and Controversies
Still coaching at age 78, Paterno has completed his 55th season at the University as an assistant or head coach, the record for any football coach at any university. Following the 2004 season, Paterno had amassed 343 wins, second in the NCAA's "Winningest All-Time Division I-A Coaches" category to Florida State coach Bobby Bowden's 351 wins. Some Joe Pa loyalists argue that 31 of Bowden's wins should not be counted as they came while Bowden was the head coach at Howard College, which is now Samford University, a Division I-AA football program. However, during Bowden's tenure at Howard, there were no distinctions bewteen Divison 1 and Division 1-AA in college football. Bowden is credited with the record because the NCAA rule states that to be eligible for the record one needs 10 years at a Division I-A school, at which point all wins at any four-year school are counted toward the career total. Paterno's 20 wins in bowl games give him the all-time lead among Division I-A coaches; Bowden is second with 19 bowl wins. Despite the comparisons of on the field performances, and bickering amonst college football fans, Paterno and Bowden are actually friends, often spending time together when they attend coaches' conventions.
With his program not as successful as in the past, Paterno has endured a controversial period with the media and many disgruntled fans and alumni calling for his retirement. Paterno has rebuffed all calls for his retirement and has stated he will fulfill his contract which runs out in 2006. Paterno announced in a speech in Pittsburgh on May 12, 2005 that he will consider retirement if the 2005 football team has a disappointing season. "If we don't win some games, I've got to get my rear end out of here", Paterno said in a speech at the Duquesne Club. "Simple as that".
Philanthropist & Educator
Paterno is highly regarded for his contributions to academics as well as his football coaching. In the 1970s, Paterno began a "Grand Experiment", requiring his players to excel in academics as well as football. Over the decades, Penn State's football players consistently had above-average graduation rates that were often among the top 10 in Division I-A. Additionally, he and wife Sue have donated $250,000 to expand the library and helped raise another $13.5 million in private donations for its construction. The expanded wing (formerly East Pattee Library) was named the Paterno Library in their honor.
Political Interests
Paterno is a poltical conservative and is a personal friend of George H.W. Bush, endorsing the first president Bush in a speech at the 1988 Republican Convention. Some people believed that it was not appropriate for a publically-funded university's most famous faculty member to campaign for a presidential candidate. In 2004, his Generation-X son Scott Paterno won a hotly contested Republican congressional primary election, but lost in the general election to Baby-Boomer conservative Democratic incumbent Tim Holden.