How the mighty have fallen.
In a mind-numbing series of events, legendary Penn State, State College, Pa., head football coach Joe Paterno was fired unanimously by the university’s board of trustees in an emergency meeting Wednesday, Nov. 9. The board also relieved university president, Graham Spanier, of his duties.
“Joe Paterno is no longer the head football coach, effective immediately,” said board of trustees Vice Chair John Surma during a packed press conference late Wednesday night.
Paterno’s firing came amidst investigations into an alleged child sexual abuse scandal by former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who surrendered to authorities Nov. 5 after being indicted on 40 counts of sexual abuse.
The 84-year-old Paterno hails from Flatbush and attended high school at the now-defunct Brooklyn Prep, Crown Heights. During his youth, he was an usher for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, Flatbush. After attending Brown University, Providence, R.I., he accepted a job in 1950 as an assistant coach at Penn State.
By 1966, Paterno had assumed the head coaching position for the Nittany Lions. He recently set the NCAA Division I record with 409 wins and also holds the record for most bowl wins (24) and bowl appearances (37). For the past 46 years, he has served as a pillar of integrity and has become the face of the university.
However, Paterno’s legacy will be forever tarnished by the gruesome details of the university’s failure to report multiple incidents involving Sandusky. Allegations of Sandusky’s abusive behavior began in 1994 and resurfaced in 1998. In 1999, Sandusky ‘retired’ at age 55 – the prime age for coaching.
For a time, Sandusky, who was “Joe Pa’s” right-hand man, seemed to be a possible successor to Paterno when the latter would symbolically be carried off the field for the last time. But instead, Sandusky’s actions led to his early retirement, and rumors have surfaced that the retirement was forced as a way to cover up the scandal.
Sandusky founded a charitable organization called The Second Mile in which he would attempt to help underprivileged Pennsylvania children by giving them “a better life.” But in a downright scary fashion, he allegedly used this foundation as way to get intimately close to children.
Though he was retired, Sandusky was still given full access to the football team’s facilities. One night in 2002, then graduate assistant and current wide receivers coach Mike McQueary allegedly witnessed Sandusky making inappropriate contact with a 10-year-old boy in the shower.
McQueary notified Paterno the next day about what he saw. Paterno did everything that was legally required of him in that he reported the incident to his supervisor, Athletic Director Tim Curley who then told Gary Schultz, Penn State’s senior vice president for finance and business.
However, from that point on, the only action was the taking away of Sandusky’s keys to the locker room. Rather than alert the authorities of Sandusky’s behavior, university officials apparently swept it under the rug. At least eight victims have claimed sexual abuse against Sandusky with the potential of dozens more who have yet to come out.
Curley and Schultz were both indicted on perjury charges and failure to report abuse.
As this investigation was ongoing, everything seemed to snowball Nov. 9. An emotional Paterno revealed to his team that he would retire at the end of the season. He was in the final year of his contract anyway and, once again, is 84 years old. Still, he has been involved in every single Penn State football game for over 60 years.
However, the board of trustees acted swiftly in making a decision later that night that was in “the best interest of the university.”
“We promise you we are committed to restoring the public trust to our university,” Surma said.
Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who took over for Sandusky in 1999, was named interim head coach.
“Coach Paterno has meant more to me than anyone except my father,” said Bradley.
Almost as soon as the announcement was made, Penn State students took to the streets in support of their iconic coach. Chants of “We Want Joe,” “We Are…Penn State,” and “One More Game” resonated in the crowds. One thing many of these protesters failed to realize is that the kids who were sexually abused were likely close in age to most of the students.
Just after midnight on Nov. 9, Paterno came out of his house to acknowledge a crowd that had gathered. After blowing kisses to the crowd, he informed the students to go home and get some rest and also to study. He concluded by asking everyone to “say a prayer for those kids.”
The problem is that these prayers come well after the fact when something more could have been done. In what became an “Occupy Penn State” movement, the protests turned somewhat violent as students began defacing property.
In the end, the circumstances surrounding Paterno could go down as one of the most monumental falls from grace in sports history. Though he boasts an impressive record of achievements during his six decades at Penn State, he will always be remembered for what he didn’t do – report Sandusky to the police.
“This is a tragedy,” Paterno said in a Nov. 9 statement. “It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”
Paterno was just one game shy of breaking the record for most games coached; he will remain on 548.
While the board of trustees’ decision to fire Paterno over the phone seemed disrespectful after what “Joe Pa” has done for the school, all it would have taken for Paterno to resolve this situation would have been one phone call – to the police. Instead, the decision to cover up Sandusky’s actions will loom over Paterno and Penn State for years to come.
High-Flying Falcons
The Bishop Ford H.S., Park Slope, cross-country varsity boys’ team won the Brooklyn-Queens Championship at Van Cortlandt Park, the Bronx. Junior Devin Rocks placed first overall in the meet, finishing the 2.5-mile course in 13:26. The team is shown with the school’s president, Ray Nash.