Penn State Needs to End Paterno’s Time in Power

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Penn State Needs to End Paterno’s Time in Power

Joe Paterno has been at the helm of Penn State football since 1966. In the world of intercollegiate sports it’s hard to find a coach that has a tenure with the same institution for more than ten years. In the past 37 seasons, Coach Paterno has won an astonishing 336 games, breaking Paul “Bear” Bryant’s record of 323 set at the University of Alabama. Besides obtaining the most wins in NCAA Division 1-A football, Paterno has two national championships (1982 and 1986) and a Big Ten conference championship in 1994 (DeLassus). These great moments add to the tradition of Penn State football history, but that’s exactly the point, Paterno’s triumphs are history. The past four seasons, including the 2003 season, have consisted of more losses than wins. Recent trends in college football usually point the blame of a losing football team in the direction of the head coach. For Penn State and Joe Paterno this situation should be no different. The dilemma is in the hands of the school’s Director of Athletics, Timothy M. Curley, who has to convince one of the greatest football coaches to step away from the game he has been devoted to for over 50 years.

Joe Paterno’s name is synonymous with Penn State football. The program has accomplished a lot since the 1960s. How many football programs have clinched two national championships? In fact, how many coaches can claim the same? Since 1995, no team has been able to win successive national championships. Penn State can’t claim a single title since 1986, and hasn’t been in contention for one since their 1994 season. Now seventy-six years old, “Coach Joe Pa” has long forgotten his way of building a strong football program. His years of...

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...igure out that the game has evolved. The philosophy of football is simple, in that, if something’s wrong then fix it. Penn State has fallen apart and the only way to salvage their football team is to part with Paterno.

Works Cited:

Daugherty, Paul. “Paterno is blinded by career’s twilight,” The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett Co. Inc. (31 Oct 2003)

DeLassus, David. “Recognized National Championships by Year,” College Football Data Warehouse. 17 Nov 2003 (2003) <http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/national_championships/nchamps_year.php>

Dye, Dave. “Paterno confronts age-old question,” The Detroit News. (3 Oct 2001)

<http://www.detnews.com/2001/um/0110/04/g01-309315.htm>

“Paterno plans to make retirement decision after 2006 season,” Sportsline.com. Central Broadcasting System. (1 Feb 2003)

<http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/6162928>

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