2011 The Associated Press. Harris defended Paterno when he was fired in the midst of a sex-abuse scandal involving an assistant coach. [166][167] His death resulted in tributes from prominent leaders in the U.S., including former President George H. W. Bush, who called Paterno "an outstanding American who was respected not only on the field of play but in life generallyand he was, without a doubt, a true icon in the world of sports. [32] In 2008, ESPN questioned the control that Paterno and the university exerted over the Penn State football program. Although this action was outside the normal process for investigating major violations, the NCAA said this action was merited because the alleged cover-up violated basic principles of intercollegiate athletics that were over and above specific policies. [104] After some days of mixed messages,[105][106][107] the school removed the statue on Sunday, July 22, in front of a crowd of student onlookers. The person said the coach was focused on beating the illness "and seeing the full truth" emerge. Although his contract was not up for negotiation until the end of 2011, Paterno initiated negotiations with his superiors to amend his contract in January 2011, the same month he was notified of the police investigation. [145] In 2011, Penn State football players had an 80% graduation rate and showed no achievement gap between its black and white players, which is extremely rare for Division I football teams. Her husband, a College Football Hall of Fame coach who led the Penn State's Nittany Lions for 46 years, died in January 2012 at 85. He was paid $490,638 in 2006. After leaving Penn State, Paterno began suffering from health. Paterno was a longtime summer resident of Avalon, New Jersey.[158]. Paterno and his wife, Sue, raised five children in State College. He maintains his innocence and is pursuing appeals. He spoke with a marked Brooklyn accent throughout his life. Prince Harry 'hated woke nonsense' and 'made jokes we are no longer allowed to make' before meeting Meghan, 'We met a Princess'! [3], Together, Joe and Sue Paterno donated millions of dollars to Penn State and to other charities, most notably, the Special Olympics. The group's executive director, Angela Liddle, acknowledged that some members questioned the choice of the Paternos as speakers, but she defended the decision and described the family as "good folks.". [144] He campaigned for Bush door-to-door in the 1988 New Hampshire primary, and seconded his nomination at the Republican National Convention. At the same meeting, university president Graham Spanier resigned rather than face being fired as well. [123] In addition, emails revealed that many in the NCAA questioned whether they had the authority to sanction Penn State and that some officials wanted to "bluff" Penn State's leadership into accepting a severe punishment, because they believed that they did not have the authority to punish Penn State. Due to his alleged involvement in the coverup of the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State University, the NCAA ruled on July 23rd, 2012, to expunge all wins credited to Paterno from 1998 . [2][80][81] Unable to reach Paterno personally due to the crowd around his house and not wanting Paterno to find out through the media, the board notified him of their decision over the telephone. Joe Paterno died of lung cancer two months later. Sue Paterno is an avid swimmer known for taking early-morning laps in the pool. I've got a son, Jay, who's for Obama. In the ensuing 12 months, Paterno died, Sandusky was convicted, a university-commissioned investigation led by former FBI director Louis Freeh concluded Paterno and three administrators. ", "National Notebook - Freshmen Williams, King lead Nittany Lions back to national prominence", "Paterno and Ditka: NFL Should Get Rid Of Facemasks", "Penn State football program ranks No. I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. "Joe Pa" was also a humanitarian at heart. The legendary coach's reputation was deeply tarnished after sex abuse charges were filed against a former assistant coach. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. He scored his fourth touchdown on that possession, smiling and pointing to his little brother after the score. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Joe Paterno, the legendary Penn State football coach who won more Division I NCAA football games than any other coach, died on Sunday morning, his family announced. Joe Paterno, byname of Joseph Vincent Paterno, also called JoePa, (born December 21, 1926, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.died January 22, 2012, State College, Pennsylvania), American collegiate gridiron football coach, who, as head coach at Pennsylvania State University (1966-2011), was the winningest major-college coach in the history of the sport, with 409 career victories, but whose . Masser stated, "The decision to remove Coach Paterno had nothing to do with what he had known, what he hadn't done. [38] He had a bowl record of 24 wins, 12 losses, and 1 tie following a defeat in the 2011 Outback Bowl. Paterno was regarded as more than just the coach's younger brother; a person who leaves a legacy of his own. We're focusing on Wisconsin, linebacker Nate Stupar said on Tuesday. Suzanne Pohland Paterno (/ptrno/; born February 14, 1940), sometimes referred to as "SuePa", is an American philanthropist. Mr Paterno was also recently diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer - but he is focused on beating the illness and seeing the full truth emerge, the source told the Associated Press. Freeh's mischaracterization of the February 27 email was widely inferred by the press to mean that Paterno had persuaded Curley (and Schultz and Spanier) not to report the incident to authorities outside the university. But following Paterno's firing, faced with hate mail and a threat of a defamation lawsuit by Paterno's family, the Board agreed to give Paterno and his family the $5.5 million package, which included additional perks for the family. Sue Paterno, wife of Joe Paterno, hugs a relative Thursday at a memorial service for the legendary coach who died of cancer Sunday. Prosecutors have said Mr Paterno had passed on the information to his superior. 13 overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft. (In 2017 he testified that was his opinion. No cause of death is known at this time. With 409 victories, Paterno is the most victorious coach in NCAA FBS history. 1 in New America Foundation's Academic Bowl Championship Series", "Instant Replay rundown for the 2005 season", "Penn State Football Student-Athletes Earn No. Penn State won at least three bowl games in each of the four decades in which Paterno coached the entire decade, from 1970 thru 2009. However, on July 23, 2012, the NCAA officially vacated 111 of Paterno's wins based on the findings of the Freeh report regarding his involvement in the Penn State sex abuse scandal. On the night of November 8, hundreds of students gathered in front on Paterno's home in support of the beleaguered coach. Mr Paterno's former players appeared to be heeding the request. STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - A person close to former Penn State coach Joe Paterno's family has told The Associated Press his wife was turned away from a campus pool. 2 Graduation Rate Among AP Top 25 Teams", "Paterno's Payback? All wins dating back to 1998 were vacated, the year Paterno was first informed of Sandusky's suspected child abuse. So God bless America."[156]. He requested privacy for the family. He left his cars and personal possessions to his wife, Suzanne P. Paterno. (But) definitely we've been thinking about him, and we're hoping he's doing all right, and just praying for him'. Joe Paterno died just months later, in early 2012. On November 18, 2011, just nine days after his dismissal from Penn State, Paterno's son Scott reported that his father had a treatable form of lung cancer. Prosecutors have said Paterno had passed on the information to his superior. Paterno was injured again in August 2011, after colliding with a player during practice. I don't remember, and I could not honestly say I heard a rumor. Mr Paterno was receiving thousands of calls or messages from former players, alumni and other well-wishers - and he was encouraging patience and to trust in the truth, the AP source said. [95][96][97] Before a grand jury in 2011, when Paterno was asked, other than the 2001 incident that Mike McQueary reported to him, whether he knew of any other inappropriate sexual conduct by Sandusky with young boys, Paterno testified, "I do not know of anything else that Jerry would be involved in of that nature, no. "[62] In his grand jury testimony, Paterno stated that McQueary had described Sandusky "fondling" a young boy in an act he described of a "sexual nature," but stopped short of the rape to which McQueary would later testify. Paterno played quarterback and cornerback at Brown University, guiding the team to a 15-3 record over the 1948. [118] Thornburgh concluded that the Freeh report was "seriously flawed, both with respect to the process of [its] investigation and its findings related to Mr. Paterno was fired by the university trustees days after Sandusky was charged. [5] An investigation conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh reported that Paterno concealed information relating to Sandusky's abuse of a young boy. [2] However, in late 2014 and early 2015, court depositions by trustees Kenneth Frazier and Keith Masser conflicted with the "failure of leadership" story. Joe's wife, Sue, said she called a couple of trustees. Penn State failed on fourth down and Iowa held on for the win. 15 Wisconsin this weekend with a berth in the inaugural Big Ten title game at stake. Birds of a feather really DO flock together! One of Cappelletti's teammates, however, notified Paterno of Joey's request and Paterno brought John back in for another series. Freeh has said he stands by his report. / AP. [66][67] Instead, two weeks later, Curley reported that Sandusky's keys to the locker room had been taken away and that the incident was reported to The Second Mile charity. A small plane towed a banner over campus, reading Take the Statue Down or We Will. While it was initially thought to be treatable, Paterno succumbed to his illness two months later, on January 22, 2012, at Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pennsylvania. [163] While recovering, he coached the remainder of the season and the 2009 Rose Bowl from the press box. Paterno had one Heisman Trophy winner, John Cappelletti, who earned the award in 1973. It's almost like the NCAA hired him to do their enforcement investigation on Penn State. Paterno is not a target of the investigation, according to authorities. Mr Paterno testified before a grand jury looking into the abuse allegations that a graduate assistant told him in 2002 that he witnessed an incident in the shower in the team locker room. 20 Penn State plays at No. "I got a son who's a Republican, who ran for Congress, Scott. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. This film focuses on how the Sandusky scandal affected the Paterno family,. During his career, he led the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl appearances with 24 wins while turning down offers to coach National Football League (NFL) teams that included the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. Record-setting Penn State football coach Joe Paterno died Paterno, legendary Penn State football coach, dies at age 85 2012-01-23 - By Richard Goldstein . Still proclaiming his. [153] Before the 1974 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, a group of Pennsylvania Republican Party leaders briefly considered Paterno for Andrew Lewis' ticket as the candidate for lieutenant governor. And I'm viewing this strictly on the evidence, not any kind of fealty to anybody. [1] She is the widow of football coach Joe Paterno, who led the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2011. On Sunday morning, Sue Paterno will release the results of an investigation she ordered into her husband's conduct during the period when Sandusky was bringing his young victims to the university. He died from complications of lung cancer less than three months later. Furious motorist is fined 650 after council worker paints disabled bay around his parked car. STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Joe Paterno, the longtime Penn State coach who won more games than anyone in major college football but was fired amid a child sex abuse scandal that scarred his. On Tuesday, the supervising judge of the grand jury whose findings resulted in charges against Spanier, Curley and Schultz rejected their pre-trial motions, allowing their criminal cases to move forward. [110], On July 23, two weeks after the release of the Freeh report, the NCAA punished Penn State with some of the most severe sanctions ever handed down in the history of collegiate athletics. Sue Paterno, 84, is an avid swimmer known for taking early-morning laps in the Pennsylvania pool and relatives were left upset after she was turned away, a source close to her family revealed. "I wanted the first step to be a meeting with Jerry Sandusky.") Sue Paterno will speak . She taught at a local school in Centre County, Pennsylvania, for a year before leaving to give birth to her first child, Diana. Right tackle Chima Okoli said this week that the team knows Paterno doesn't want sympathy. A February report commissioned by the family portrayed Paterno as the victim of a "rush to injustice" spawned by the university-financed internal probe. But Mr Paterno has said specific actions alleged to have occurred in the grand jury report were not relayed to him. While serving as an assistant coach, Paterno met freshman coed Suzanne Pohland at the campus library;[157] she was a Latrobe native 13 years his junior and an English literature honors student. "(But) definitely we've been thinking about him, and we're hoping he's doing all right, and just praying for him.". 15 Wisconsin this weekend with a berth in the inaugural Big Ten title game at stake. By August 2011, Paterno and his attorneys had reached a deal with the PSU Board for a total package worth $5.5 million, including a $3 million cash payout, forgiveness of a $350,000 interest-free loan issued by the university, and the use of a private box at Beaver Stadium and a private jet for 25 years, if he agreed the 2011 season would be his last. Curley, Schultz and Spanier then agreed to report the incident to both the Department of Public Welfare and the Second Mile if Sandusky did not cooperate and get professional help (i.e., rather than not reporting the incident to authorities outside the university, reporting to the Department of Public Welfare was still part of the plan). Harris in 1971, when he played for Penn State under coach Joe Paterno, right. Penn State Football No. [21], Paterno had been accepted to Boston University School of Law, and he had planned to attend before deciding to coach at Penn State. Joe Paterno's income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. Paterno was the first coach with the distinction of having won each of the four major bowls Rose, Orange, Fiesta, and Sugar as well as the Cotton Bowl Classic, at least once. Thankful: Sue Paterno reacts at the front door when students and well-wishers bring gifts to their home in State College, Pennsylvania, shortly after Mr Paterno was fired. Here's the story behind Joe Paterno's rolled-up pants: Back in the late 1960s, his wife, Sue, suggested he raise the cuffs so mud wouldn't get on his wool slacks while coaching. Today is a victory for the people of Pennsylvania. [177] The 111 wins were restored on January 16, 2015, as a part of a settlement between the NCAA and Penn State, once again making him the most victorious coach in FBS NCAA football history.[178][179]. (In early 2015 the wins were restored. Based on whatever information they had, they were going to connect the dots and tell a story. He attended Brown University, where he played football both ways as the quarterback and a cornerback. Penn State football letterman and NFL Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris died overnight, according to the Associated Press. [61] Paterno said McQueary informed him that "he had witnessed an incident in the shower but he at no time related to me the very specific actions contained in the grand jury report. [84][85][86][87] That night, several thousand Penn State students chanting Paterno's name rioted in the streets, hurling rocks, tearing down street signs, and overturning a news van. [36], Paterno was known for his gameday image thick glasses, rolled-up dress slacks (by his admission, to save on cleaning bills), white socks and Brooklyn-tinged speech.[37]. And I'm viewing this strictly on the evidence, not any kind of fealty to anybody. Paterno passed away at the age of 85 of lung cancer, on Jan. 22, 2012. Who Is Joe Paterno's Wife? 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