Playing for Paterno: One Coach, Two Eras . . . A Father and Son's Recollections of Playing for JoePa

by Charlie Pittman, Tony Pittman, Joe Paterno (Foreword)

Penn State football icon Joe Paterno has presided over five undefeated seasons in his storied career as a head coach. Charlie and Tony Pittman played in three of those seasons. The Pittmans are the only undefeated father and son starters in the history of the Nittany Lions’ program and their experiences are brought to life in their compelling new memoir Playing for Paterno . Charlie Pittman’s teams—unbeaten in 30 games—laid the foundation and established the legacy for Penn State’s winning ways; they are the reason Penn State became a powerhouse. Tony’s 1994 team was considered by many to be one of the best offensive teams in college football history. Playing for Paterno takes the reader inside the Blue and White world of Penn State football and gives insight into the profound impact Paterno’s program has had on young hearts and minds. The reader sees through the eyes of Charlie Pittman, a poor, black Baltimore kid who was transported to the alien, all-white world of Happy Valley in the 1960s and Tony Pittman, a child of privilege who spurned Harvard and Yale for big time football at Penn State in the 1990s. But the book offers much more than just life inside one of the premier programs in college football. It takes the discipline, confidence, and integrity of the Pittmans, Paterno and Penn State football and translates them into practical primer for readers who want to apply these principles to their own lives and careers.

Genres: Sports

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF-
This book had the potential to be a great book. The perspective of two men, father and son, that played for one of the greatest football coaches of all time in two DIFFERENT eras is an extraordinary story and should have been told in much more detail. This book did not need to be a business motivation book with obvious tips on how to succeed at your job. It had good spurts of story that were just brutally interrupted by some business tip that didn’t really flow. The only reason this isn’t 1 star is because of how actually extraordinary the story is of two family members playing (and having undefeated seasons) for the same coach in multiple eras.

[Bob Marthinsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great contrast in drawing parallels between Joe Paterno's philosophies and life teachings from a football/team perspective and their applications to success in the business world, across 2 generations. The football and real life father/son stories were also interesting. However, there were several sections where I had to push through some very elementary and dry business 101 lessons. I understand what the author was trying to do, however, they took some of the enjoyment out of the book.

This is a decent read for any JoePa or Penn State football fan.

[Rev Gary]

Great football stories and shows how we can apply what he learned to personal life

[Doodle]

Not that great.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

it has a great message.