Joe Paterno Remembered, Praised as Hero

On Thursday, January 26th, 2012 in Pop Culture by Mark Ryabtsev.

Carolyn Kaster/AP

Today, legendary college football coach Joe Paterno was remembered in University Park, Pennsylvania. Paterno died just days ago.

His memorial was attended by his family, friends, former colleagues and players, and many from the Penn State family. An estimated total of 16,000 people showed up to say goodbye to the beloved Joe Pa.

His son Jay spoke highly of his father. Jay spoke of Joe’s impact on his players and everyone associated with Penn State. Jay said that Joe’s “impact has a lasting legacy.”

Paterno was the coach of Penn State football up until just a few months ago when he was fired in the middle of the scandal involving his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. While legally Paterno did everything he was supposed to do, he continued to allow Sandusky to be associated with Penn State, which many disagreed with.

But Paterno will be remembered as a legendary coach and a hero to many. The issues surrounding his final years are not enough to erase his legacy. Paterno goes down as one of greatest, if not the greatest, college football coaches of all time.

The great Joe Pa lived from 1926 to 2012. He was 85 years old.

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