Thousands remember Paterno at Penn State

Thousands remember Paterno at Penn State

Credit: Patrick Mansell A public memorial service for Joe Paterno was held at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center on Jan. 26. To see more photos, click on the image above.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- They came from all walks of life: alumni and students; football players and coaches, current and former; community members, dignitaries, family, friends and fans. More than 12,000 gathered at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center on Thursday to honor the life and memory of Joe Paterno who, over the course of his life, made an indelible mark on the lives of many. Paterno, who coached football at Penn State for more than 61 years, died Sunday, Jan. 22, at the age of 85.

Across the country Paterno may have been known best for his football pedigree; for building one of the nation’s most prominent college football programs; for his record-setting 409 wins; and perhaps for his rolled up khakis, thick glasses and fiery sideline presence. But among those who knew him best, and among many in the State College and wider Penn State communities, Paterno was known as a family man, a teacher, a philanthropist and a down-to-earth person who put grades before the gridiron.

Players from each decade of Paterno’s head coaching career took the stage Thursday and spoke about the lasting impact that Paterno and his wife, Sue, have had on their lives.

Christian Marrone played briefly for the Nittany Lions in the 1990s. It was his life-long dream, he said, to play for Paterno at Beaver Stadium. When his young career was cut short by a knee injury he contemplated leaving the University.

“Coach called me into his office and sternly looked me in the eyes and said, ‘You have a greater purpose, Christian, than football, and I’m going to help you to achieve it.’”

Paterno kept Marrone on the team, pushed him academically while he was a student and followed his successes as an adult.

“Joseph Vincent Paterno was a great football coach, but his life can never, ever be measured in wins or in championships, because to do so would be a grave injustice,” said Marrone. “The greatness and the legacy of Joe Paterno lies within each of us -- my brothers behind me and in front of me -- in our story; in how we are leading our lives; in how we are making an impact today.”

Jimmy Cefalo played at Penn State in the 1970s, and spoke about what has come to be known as Paterno’s “Grand Experiment” -- that academic success and success on the football field are not mutually exclusive.

“What was the idea?” Cefalo asked, rhetorically. “It was that we wouldn’t just be athletes, but we would be student-athletes. We can say now, 46 years later, that the Grand Experiment was a great success.”

Susan Welch, dean of the College of the Liberal Arts and longtime friend of Paterno’s, said it was Paterno’s unwavering support of Penn State’s academic success that struck her when they first met.

“I met Joe Paterno shortly after I arrived at Penn State in 1991. He was already legendary coach Joe Paterno and I was a greenhorn, but with ambitions to help our College of the Liberal Arts become one of the nation’s finest,” Welch said. “I soon learned that Joe Paterno and his wife, Sue, were also enthusiastic supporters of the liberal arts, the kind of supporters that roll up their sleeves and go to work to help.”

Welch spoke of the Paternos’ longtime support for Penn State and the College of the Liberal Arts, including support for faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, the University Libraries that now bear their name, and their support for the Paterno Liberal Arts Undergraduate Fellows Program, which awards students in the college who distinguish themselves through hard work and dedication.

“Our Paterno fellows are quite unlike Joe Paterno’s players in many respects,” Welch said, noting that many likely could not block a 300-pound tackle, “but they share one thing, and in my view the most important thing of all: They have been assisted in their Penn State education, and I believe their lives, by the generosity, leadership, loyalty and inspiration of Joe Paterno.”

Welch, Cefalo and Marrone were joined by 10 other speakers, including former football players Kenny Jackson, Todd Blackledge, Charlie Pittman and Michael Robinson; current player Michael Mauti; the Rev. Matthew Laffey; Penn State senior and Paterno Fellow Lauren Perrotti; “Paternoville” founder Jeff Bast; and Nike Chairman Phil Knight.

Last to speak was Jay Paterno, son of Joe Paterno, who spent 17 years on Penn State’s football staff, 12 as quaterbacks coach.

“The ancient Greek, Sophocles, once said, ‘One must wait until the evening to truly see how magnificent the day has been.’ My father, Joseph Vincent Paterno, never wanted to look back, to be seated in the evening reflecting on that day that had passed. Once something was done, it was on to the next challenge,” he said. “Well, Dad, you have no choice. The evening has arrived, and whether you like it or not, there are many here that have and will continue to reflect on the magnificent daylight of your life.”

Jay Paterno reflected on his father’s life in light of a challenge made by his grandfather, Angelo Paterno. Angelo challenged his son, Joe, to make an impact in the world. Jay Paterno was struck by the breadth of that impact, he said, when people from five continents spoke to him and his brother, Scott, at their father’s viewing earlier this week. They shared tears, hugs and handshakes, and anecdotes about Joe Paterno’s impact on their lives.

“Was this the result of a life of just coaching football?” Paterno asked. “As Angelo wanted it, an impact has been made. That impact has a lasting legacy -- a legacy beyond accolades and buildings and endowments. It is in the people he reached; the people he taught.”

To see photos from the memorial service, visit http://live.psu.edu/flickrset/72157629041828239 online. Photos from the funeral procession on Wednesday, Jan. 25, can be viewed at http://live.psu.edu/flickrset/72157629028176907 and photos from the viewing on Tuesday, Jan. 24 can be seen at http://live.psu.edu/flickrset/72157629018285015 online.