In 2009, the college football fans among us watched as Florida State’s Bobby Bowden and Penn State’s Joe Paterno fought for the title of the winningest coach in college football history. Bowden ultimately retired at the end of the season, leaving the title to Paterno, who at the beginning of this year began his 46th year as head coach of the Nittany Lions.
He has more bowl appearances and more bowl victories than any other coach in history. He has won the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Orange Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. He has won two national titles and led five different teams to undefeated seasons.
And we all thought, “When this guy retires, it’ll be one of the saddest days in all of college football.”
How quickly things change.
Now Paterno is under pressure to step down after allegations that one of his former defensive coordinators, Jerry Sandusky, sexually abused minors over a 15-year-period. Paterno was informed about a single incident and brought it up to an athletic director, who never followed up.
Now, Paterno followed protocol and reported the incident to his superiors. But that’s all he did, and what’s worse, he allowed Sandusky to stay around the program.
What this all adds up to is one of the saddest endings in the history of the sport. Paterno is a legend. He has an incredible 409-136-3 record over his career. He’s the demigod-like figurehead for one of the most famous programs in college football, a program that he basically built.
At the same time, it’d be foolish not to realize that he’s had problems before. Penn State was the subject of an Outside the Lines report back in 2008 that highlighted the numerous criminal offenses committed by players that were glossed over by the program. Paterno almost quit the program several times to take jobs at the NFL level, and in 2005, amid calls for him to step down, he said he would, if the team had a bad season. (That year the Nittany Lions went 11-1, and Paterno stayed on.)
But these kind of problems are almost normal for football programs, and it was easy to gloss over and focus on the incredibly legacy the man was building.
But not anymore. Not after this. Not after Paterno allowed a man who he knew was abusing children stay around the program.
One day the scandal may die down, and people will remember Paterno solely for his coaching and humanitarian efforts. But that day won’t come anytime soon.
When Paterno steps down, it will be one of the saddest days in college football.
But for all the wrong reasons.
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