Sunday, January 22, 2012

Joe Paterno, Winningest Coach In Major College Football History, R. I. P.

Joe Paterno, the legendary former head football coach at Penn State, the all-time winningest head coach in major college football history, passed away on Sunday at a State College, Pennsylvania hospital at age 85.


Coach Paterno had been in the hospital since January 13 for what his family had called "minor complications" from treatment of lung cancer, with which he was diagnosed with back in November, just days after he was ousted as the Nittany Lions' head coach in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal that involved former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.


During his 46 seasons as Penn State head coach, "JoePa" won a Football Bowl Subdivision-recored 409 games and two national championships.


Before becoming the Nittany Lions' head coach, he had served as an assistant at the school from 1950, following his graduation from Brown University (where he was quarterback and defensive back) until he became the head coach in 1966.


More than 250 of the players that JoePa coached eventually went to the National Football League.

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