Joe Paterno 1926-2012.Unfortunately, the report claims that have dominated the news cycle starts college football Saturday night was a precursor to the inevitable reality but still numbing: a coaching legend has passed.
A spokesman confirmed to the Associated Press the family of Joseph Vincent Paterno died at the hospital in State College, at the age of 85, just over two months after being diagnosed with a form of lung cancer. A posting to Penn State official Facebook page simply: "It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of Coach Joe Paterno ... Few have done more.”
Paterno died Sunday at 9:25 ET, and the official cause of death was metastatic small cell carcinoma of the lung.
The legendary former coach Penn State's head was surrounded by family and friends, who had been summoned to the hospital on the campus where the health Paterno took a turn for the worse recently.
"It is with great sadness that we announce that Joe Paterno died earlier today," a statement read to the family. "His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled. He died as he lived. He fought to the end, remained positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded how all his life had been blessed. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never thought he had to leave this happy valley to reach them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and community. "
A statement attributed to President Rodney Erickson of the University and the board was released shortly after the death of Paterno.
"We mourn the loss of Joe Paterno, a great man who gave us a great university. His dedication to ensure that his players have managed both the field and in life is legendary and his commitment to education is unmatched in college football. His life, work and generosity will always remember.
"The University plans to honor him for his many contributions and to remember his remarkable life and legacy. We are all deeply saddened. "
Paterno was born December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, NY, and after his days playing at Brown University were complete, was hired as an assistant at Penn State in 1950. Shortly after the 1965 season had ended, Paterno was named head coach of the Nittany Lions, for 46 years, Paterno ruled Happy Valley as the face of both a football program and a university.
During his nearly five decades as head coach, Paterno accumulated 409 victories, most in Div. I have the history, a record 37 appearances in bowl games and two national championships. Like many a coach as he was on the ground, it was widely hailed as, at least until the events that transpired since last November, a man even more out of it, giving millions back to his University beloved and shape the lives of countless players, coaches and other support staff in football.
The legacy he had built more than half a century at the school, however, was threatened - or erased in the minds of some - Jerry Sandusky by the scandal of child sex abuse that rocked the football program in particular and the university in general. Just days after his former assistant was charged with more than 50 charges related to sexual abuse of minor boys, Paterno was fired by the board of directors of the school, who said in a statement that their "unanimous decision was the coach Paterno could not be expected to continue to discharge its functions effectively and that it was in the best interests of the University to make an immediate change in their status.”
Nine weeks after his last game on Nov. 5 - foreign and vaguely similar time wise to the adoption of Bear Bryant coached after his last game at Alabama - Coach Paterno is gone.
Our condolences go to his family, friends and everyone affected by a helluva coach and a great human being-but-fallible that is ultimately defined by the totality of his life, both good and bad.
A spokesman confirmed to the Associated Press the family of Joseph Vincent Paterno died at the hospital in State College, at the age of 85, just over two months after being diagnosed with a form of lung cancer. A posting to Penn State official Facebook page simply: "It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of Coach Joe Paterno ... Few have done more.”
Paterno died Sunday at 9:25 ET, and the official cause of death was metastatic small cell carcinoma of the lung.
The legendary former coach Penn State's head was surrounded by family and friends, who had been summoned to the hospital on the campus where the health Paterno took a turn for the worse recently.
"It is with great sadness that we announce that Joe Paterno died earlier today," a statement read to the family. "His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled. He died as he lived. He fought to the end, remained positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded how all his life had been blessed. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never thought he had to leave this happy valley to reach them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and community. "
A statement attributed to President Rodney Erickson of the University and the board was released shortly after the death of Paterno.
"We mourn the loss of Joe Paterno, a great man who gave us a great university. His dedication to ensure that his players have managed both the field and in life is legendary and his commitment to education is unmatched in college football. His life, work and generosity will always remember.
"The University plans to honor him for his many contributions and to remember his remarkable life and legacy. We are all deeply saddened. "
Paterno was born December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, NY, and after his days playing at Brown University were complete, was hired as an assistant at Penn State in 1950. Shortly after the 1965 season had ended, Paterno was named head coach of the Nittany Lions, for 46 years, Paterno ruled Happy Valley as the face of both a football program and a university.
During his nearly five decades as head coach, Paterno accumulated 409 victories, most in Div. I have the history, a record 37 appearances in bowl games and two national championships. Like many a coach as he was on the ground, it was widely hailed as, at least until the events that transpired since last November, a man even more out of it, giving millions back to his University beloved and shape the lives of countless players, coaches and other support staff in football.
The legacy he had built more than half a century at the school, however, was threatened - or erased in the minds of some - Jerry Sandusky by the scandal of child sex abuse that rocked the football program in particular and the university in general. Just days after his former assistant was charged with more than 50 charges related to sexual abuse of minor boys, Paterno was fired by the board of directors of the school, who said in a statement that their "unanimous decision was the coach Paterno could not be expected to continue to discharge its functions effectively and that it was in the best interests of the University to make an immediate change in their status.”
Nine weeks after his last game on Nov. 5 - foreign and vaguely similar time wise to the adoption of Bear Bryant coached after his last game at Alabama - Coach Paterno is gone.
Our condolences go to his family, friends and everyone affected by a helluva coach and a great human being-but-fallible that is ultimately defined by the totality of his life, both good and bad.
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