Former captains to be part of Joe Paterno event Saturday
4:19 PM ET
Josh Moyer
ESPN Staff Writer
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State plans to formally honor the late Joe Paterno on Saturday by having the co-captains from his first Nittany Lions team participate in the coin toss and by airing video presentations "on the impact to student-athletes," the university said Thursday.
Penn State announced on Sept. 1 that it planned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Paterno's first game at the school -- a 15-7 win over Maryland on Sept. 17, 1966 -- but declined to provide any details at the time.
The decision to honor the longtime coach sparked widespread debate. Paterno was fired in 2011 amid the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal
The Nittany Lions host Temple on Saturday at noon.
Penn State's decision to honor Joe Paterno was met with widespread criticism when the plan was announced earlier this month. Ned Dishman/Getty Images
Current Penn State coach James Franklin sidestepped questions Tuesday about the event, saying, "All of those decisions, like I've stated before, they're for the administration. Our focus is on Temple."
In a written statement Thursday, athletic director Sandy Barbour said, "Coach Paterno wanted academic success not only for his players but also for every student who came through Penn State. Together with his wife, Sue, they helped countless students become leaders and earn a Penn State diploma. Our plans are consistent with the wishes of the Paterno family as well, with a focus on the players and their accomplishments at Penn State and beyond."
Mike Irwin and John Runnells, captains of the 1966 team, will be hand on for the coin toss. Barbour said "further in-game introductions of players will take place, along with video presentations on the impact to student-athletes."
A Penn State spokesperson declined to comment further.
The Paterno Foundation, which is not affiliated with the university, announced earlier this week that several hundred former Nittany Lions football players are expected to attend a private event Friday to celebrate the coach's career. The event will take place at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, which is near Beaver Stadium.
Sue Paterno announced plans for the lettermen reunion last November.
Paterno remains a controversial figure in Happy Valley. In May, unsealed court documents revealed that an alleged Sandusky victim said he complained to Paterno about the former assistant coach in 1976 and was rebuffed. University president Eric Barron has said the allegation was not substantiated in court or tested by any other process.
Paterno was never charged with a crime related to the scandal.
Paterno finished his career as the winningest coach in FBS history with 409 victories, but he was fired in November 2011, shortly after his former defensive coordinator, Sandusky, was arrested for child sexual abuse.
Paterno died in January 2012 of lung cancer. The university removed his iconic statue from outside the stadium six months later. Sandusky was convicted on 45 of 48 charges in June 2012 and is currently serving a 30- to 60-year sentence.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
What all those alumni simply want to forget, is that everyone who DIDN'T go to Penn State will forever see their logo as this:
It's all about alumni donations. The whole football worship mentality has gotten way out of control. This is a perfect example: Ignore the horrific things that were done in order to keep the football championship train rolling on, and pretend everything is fine. No one who went to Penn State wants to think that 'their university' could ever do anything wrong, so they want to brush it under the rug and pretend to themselves that everything's still wonderful at Penn State. They'll keep donating money, and go to their graves denying that Sandusky even existed. It's all about Joe, and all the games he won, and the glory of having gone to such a wonderful school with a magnificient football team....at least, that's what they'll keep telling themselves, while the rest of us just wonder if they're trying to hide that they, too, were one of Sandusky's 'young friends'.
4:19 PM ET
Josh Moyer
ESPN Staff Writer
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State plans to formally honor the late Joe Paterno on Saturday by having the co-captains from his first Nittany Lions team participate in the coin toss and by airing video presentations "on the impact to student-athletes," the university said Thursday.
Penn State announced on Sept. 1 that it planned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Paterno's first game at the school -- a 15-7 win over Maryland on Sept. 17, 1966 -- but declined to provide any details at the time.
The decision to honor the longtime coach sparked widespread debate. Paterno was fired in 2011 amid the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal
The Nittany Lions host Temple on Saturday at noon.
Penn State's decision to honor Joe Paterno was met with widespread criticism when the plan was announced earlier this month. Ned Dishman/Getty Images
Current Penn State coach James Franklin sidestepped questions Tuesday about the event, saying, "All of those decisions, like I've stated before, they're for the administration. Our focus is on Temple."
In a written statement Thursday, athletic director Sandy Barbour said, "Coach Paterno wanted academic success not only for his players but also for every student who came through Penn State. Together with his wife, Sue, they helped countless students become leaders and earn a Penn State diploma. Our plans are consistent with the wishes of the Paterno family as well, with a focus on the players and their accomplishments at Penn State and beyond."
Mike Irwin and John Runnells, captains of the 1966 team, will be hand on for the coin toss. Barbour said "further in-game introductions of players will take place, along with video presentations on the impact to student-athletes."
A Penn State spokesperson declined to comment further.
The Paterno Foundation, which is not affiliated with the university, announced earlier this week that several hundred former Nittany Lions football players are expected to attend a private event Friday to celebrate the coach's career. The event will take place at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, which is near Beaver Stadium.
Sue Paterno announced plans for the lettermen reunion last November.
Paterno remains a controversial figure in Happy Valley. In May, unsealed court documents revealed that an alleged Sandusky victim said he complained to Paterno about the former assistant coach in 1976 and was rebuffed. University president Eric Barron has said the allegation was not substantiated in court or tested by any other process.
Paterno was never charged with a crime related to the scandal.
Paterno finished his career as the winningest coach in FBS history with 409 victories, but he was fired in November 2011, shortly after his former defensive coordinator, Sandusky, was arrested for child sexual abuse.
Paterno died in January 2012 of lung cancer. The university removed his iconic statue from outside the stadium six months later. Sandusky was convicted on 45 of 48 charges in June 2012 and is currently serving a 30- to 60-year sentence.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
What all those alumni simply want to forget, is that everyone who DIDN'T go to Penn State will forever see their logo as this:
It's all about alumni donations. The whole football worship mentality has gotten way out of control. This is a perfect example: Ignore the horrific things that were done in order to keep the football championship train rolling on, and pretend everything is fine. No one who went to Penn State wants to think that 'their university' could ever do anything wrong, so they want to brush it under the rug and pretend to themselves that everything's still wonderful at Penn State. They'll keep donating money, and go to their graves denying that Sandusky even existed. It's all about Joe, and all the games he won, and the glory of having gone to such a wonderful school with a magnificient football team....at least, that's what they'll keep telling themselves, while the rest of us just wonder if they're trying to hide that they, too, were one of Sandusky's 'young friends'.
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