The passing of Joe Paterno has left thinking about how the Nittany Lions head coach for so many years will be remembered. Paterno, who died Sunday at age 85, was the head coach in Happy Valley for nearly 50 years before the child sex abuse scandal hit the football program, bringing his career to a screeching halt.

In spite of what happened over the last two months, Paterno should be recognized for all the things he’s done over the years. He gave Penn State 61 years of his life. He spent 46 years as head coach. He also spent 15 years as Rip Engle’s assistant at Penn State. Time and service should account for something. Obviously, there will be some people who will disagree with this assessment. But Paterno was Penn State.

When Penn State played Temple in Philadelphia, whether at Veterans Stadium or Lincoln Financial Field, the Owls would have their biggest crowd of the season. The fans came out to see the Nittany Lions, but they also wanted to see Paterno, the school’s legendary head coach. The Penn State game was the biggest game on Temple’s schedule. The fans wanted to beat Penn State because that would give the Owls bragging rights in the city. Paterno had built a nationally known program.

The Nittany Lions Hall of Fame coach has recruited some of greatest high school players in this area. Every time a player signed with Penn State it was a big deal. Two of Paterno’s best Philadelphia players were from the Public League. He recruited Frankford’s Blair Thomas and Mastbaum’s Chafie Fields. Thomas was an All-City standout with the Pioneers. The quick-footed running back rushed for 3,941 yards and scored 59 career touchdowns. He was a major Division I player. Fields was a terrific wide receiver. The All-Public League standout led Mastbaum to the playoffs each year. Thomas and Fields went to Penn State to play big time college football. They were two of Paterno’s prize recruits.

Last year, Deion Barnes (Northeast High) and Shawn Oakman (Penn Wood) decided to go to Penn State. Barnes and Oakman wanted to play for Penn State, and Paterno was a big part of their decisions. With all the great winning teams and his national profile, it was heard to beat Penn State. In addition, Paterno didn’t just focus on football. He wanted his players to be good people, too. He knew that football was only one phase of their lives.

Paterno finished his coaching career with an overall record of 409-136-3. On October 29, 2011, when Penn State defeated Illinois at Beaver Stadium, he passed legendary Grambling State head coach Eddie Robinson for the most victories in Division I. Robinson was absolutely one of the greatest college coaches of all time. There’s no question about that.

Bill O’Brien, New England Patriots offensive coordinator, has been hired as the new Penn State head coach. O’Brien is busy with the Patriots getting ready to play the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. After that, O’Brien will assume the task of replacing Joe Paterno. That will be a huge job.

Contact staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .