Joe Paterno: The Rise and Fall of a False God
According to at least one writer in Philadelphia, Joe Paterno is God and Penn State Football is like a religion. He apparently believes that Penn State's faith in their God is being tested - integrity, character and honesty. And more importantly, their allegiance to a man is being tested.
Mr. Paterno's deification started from not so holy circumstances. He was born on December 21, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York to ethnic Italian parents. After serving a year in the Army, he attended Brown University. He played both cornerback and quarterback and currently shares the team record for most interceptions in a career at 14. Mr. Paterno graduated in the class of 1950. After graduation, Mr. Paterno joined his coach as an assistant coach at Penn State in 1950. And in 1965, Mr. Paterno became the head coach at Penn State.
In 2011, Joe Paterno was in effect crowned the Chief God (Zeus) of the Mount Olympus Gods of college football. He was declared the God of all the Gods of college football. The records Mr. Paterno shattered while coaching are nearly countless.
First college football coach named “Sportsman of the Year” by Sports Illustrated in 1986, a Godly record.
Wins in each of the four major bowls, Rose, Orange, Fiesta, and Sugar, God of this record for any coach.
24 bowl victories, God of this record for any coach in college football.
37 bowl appearances, God of this record for any coach in college football.
46 seasons as the head coach of Penn State, God of this record for a single school in Division I college football
62 seasons on the Penn State coaching staff, God of this record for any football coach at any university.
409 career victories as the head coach of Penn State, God of this record for a head coach in Division I college football.
These are just the 7 major jewels on Mr. Paterno's crown of his own making. There probably 100 plus less valuable gems on Mr. Paterno's self-made crown of glory, any one of which most coaches would sell their soul to obtain.
Moreover, with hundreds of thousands of alumni, the angels who serve their God's whims and needs, and with perhaps tens of millions of worshipers around the world, Mr. Paterno placed that final jewel of the 409 career victories on October 29, 2011. Mr. Paterno then sat down on his self-made throne on Mount Olympus as the Chief God of college football.
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