Quotable Joe

by L.B. Thalman

Entering the 2000 Football Season, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was poised to pass Paul Bear Bryant as major college football's all-time winningest coach. With his 317 career victories, Paterno was six shy of tying Bryant's record of 323. But as successful as his Nittany Lions teams have been on the field, winning two national titles and posting seven undefeated regular seasons, Paterno has been most influential off the field as a mover, shaker, and outspoken advocate for what is right and ethical about collegiate sports.

144 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2000

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK, it's not really a one-star book, but it's badly in need of revision. Today the statue of JoePa comes down at Beaver Stadium. Was he a terrible man? I don't think so. A good coach? Certainly. Yet this book does "lionize" (pun intended of course) a man whose virtues (loyalty, devotion to football and his team, to name the most significant here) created the conditions for his downfall. After he was fired he donated lots of money to Penn State, then died a month later. Take the good with the bad and you have the real Paterno. The only "bad" you'll find in this book is treated lightly and, yes, recorded as perhaps the inevitable downside of his better qualities because, hey, he's only human and he's humble! Sure he sets high standards and pushes and yells and won't listen to anyone -- because he loves football and he's as much a teacher as a coach who wants to build character in his players. That's Joe Paterno circa 2000, when this book was published, and a year after Jerry Sandusky had retired with a hefty cash payment, a pension and many perquisites. Anyway, I found this book at the library today & thought it might be an appropriate use of an hour this afternoon. It wasn't so bad.

[Adam Leonardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teacher, scholar, leader, philosopher, humanitarian, and also a football coach ... this book has some of Joe's most memorable quotes from his 61 years at Penn State ... well this book is from 2001, so its from his first 50 years at Penn State, and 35 years as head coach.

And to correct the other reviewer, Joe & Sue gave lots of money back to the University over his entire career while accepting a salary from the University that was about 20% of what less accomplished coaches were earning, but he lived in the same house for the last 50 years. He donated millions to the University, including the expanded Library which bears his name and completed in 1998, when I was still a student.