How old is paterno coached

Hundreds of students gathered around the bronze statue of Paterno on the Penn State campus Saturday night, praying for Paterno's recovery, lighting candles and placing blue and white baseball hats at the foot of the statue.

Paterno's personal life included service in the Army, an English degree from Brown University, a marriage that lasted more than half a century, and a football team's worth of children and grandchildren. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community," Paterno's family said in a statement.

The nomination was revoked, however, after the scandal broke. Paterno was known for his "Grand Experiment" at the university, stressing academic success as well as athletic achievement for his players. During his tenure, the reputation of Penn State grew from that of a small land-grant university to a nationally ranked research university. The football program ballooned in prestige, with the school's Beaver Stadium expanding six times during his tenure.

Paterno's football program consistently ranked among the top in the NCAA for graduation rates, as well as the top grade point averages for student athletes in Division 1 sports. The achievements helped illustrate Paterno's philosophy on collegiate sports and on life, as he said in a commencement speech to Penn State graduates, that "Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger but it won't taste good. And despite offers from other universities and NFL football teams, including an ownership stake in the New England Patriots, Paterno remained at Penn State, where his base pay was only a fraction of that of other top football coaches in the country.

Paterno was also involved in politics, supporting conservative candidates in Pennsylvania and befriending presidents George H. Bush and Gerald R. Ford, who tried but failed to convince the coach to run for office. Bush's son, President George W.

Bush, visited Penn State's campus in , noting his respect for Paterno. Although he was the most well-known person on Penn State's campus in State College, Paterno was also seen as a picture of humility. There was a push to move him out in but it failed. But the critics were in the minority, and his program was never cited for major NCAA violations.

However, the child sexual abuse scandal prompted separate investigations by the U. Paterno played quarterback and cornerback for Brown University and set a defensive record with 14 career interceptions, a distinction he boasted about to his teams all the way into his 80s.

He graduated in with plans to go to law school. He said his father hoped he would someday be president. When he was 23, a former coach at Brown was moving to Penn State to become the head coach and persuaded Paterno to come with him as an assistant. From Brooklyn? He said no. Rip Engle retired as Penn State head coach three years later, and Paterno took over.

At the time, the Lions were considered "Eastern football" — inferior — and Paterno courted newspaper coverage to raise the team's profile. In , PSU began a streak. But Penn State couldn't get to the top of the polls.

The Lions finished second in and despite perfect records. They went in and finished fifth. Texas edged them in after President Richard Nixon, impressed with the Longhorns' bowl performance, declared them No. A national title finally came in , in a win over Georgia at the Sugar Bowl. They have made several title runs since then, including a run to the Orange Bowl and an campaign in that earned them a berth in the Rose Bowl, where they lost to Southern California. In his later years, physical ailments wore the old coach down.

Paterno was run over on the sideline during a game at Wisconsin in November and underwent knee surgery. He hurt his hip in demonstrating an onside kick. An intestinal illness and a bad reaction to antibiotics prescribed for dental work slowed him for most of the season.

Paterno began scaling back his speaking engagements that year, ending his summer caravan of speeches to alumni across the state. Then a receiver bowled over Paterno at practice in August, sending him to the hospital with shoulder and pelvis injuries and consigning him to coach much of the season from the press box. Paterno could be conservative on the field, especially in big games, relying on the tried-and-true formula of defense, the running game and field position.

Paterno and his wife, Sue, raised five children in State College. Anybody could telephone him at his modest ranch home — the same one he appeared in front of on the night he was fired — by looking up "Paterno, Joseph V. He walked to home games and was greeted and wished good luck by fans on the street. Former players paraded through his living room for the chance to say hello. But for the most part, he stayed out of the spotlight. Paterno did have a knack for joke.

He referred to Twitter, the social media, as "Twittle-do, Twittle-dee. He also could be abrasive and stubborn, and had his share of run-ins with his bosses or administrators. And as his legend grew, so did the attention to his on-field decisions, and the questions about when he would retire.

Calls for his retirement reached a crescendo in He even turned down a chance to coach professional football with the New England Patriots in Paterno led the Lions to two National Championships — in and in In recognition of his contributions to his winning team, he earned the Sportsman of the Year honor from Sports Illustrated in Not long after reaching his record-making win with his team, Paterno found himself caught up in a scandal.

His former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, was charged with sexually abusing eight boys during a year period. Paterno had been informed of a possible attack by Sandusky that took place at the university's sports complex in , but he supposedly did little to follow up on the allegation. When this news surfaced, Paterno came under fire for not doing enough to address this alleged assault. On November 9th, Paterno announced that he would retire at the end of the season, but the college's board decided to dismiss him that same day.

After 46 years as a coach, the distinguished Paterno ended his career with a dark cloud hanging over him. Still, in the end, his thoughts were with Sandusky's alleged victims, not on his job. Paterno told the press, "I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief. Paterno later explained that "I didn't know exactly how to handle it," referring to allegations of sexual abuse against Sandusky. It didn't turn out that way.

While scandal may have marred his final days as Penn State's coach, Paterno will also be remembered for developing the university's football program into a national powerhouse, and for preparing roughly of his players for the NFL. Paterno is survived by his wife, five children, and 17 grandchildren.

In a statement, his family said: "He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Joe Paterno was first a star athlete in his own right before spending decades leading others to victory.

He served in the U. Army during World War II.