In a recent Forbes interview, Penn State legend Joe Paterno discussed power, ambition, and glory within the confines of ancient classics. It seems like JoePa has a pretty good understanding of literature and history, something you don’t see in a lot of NCAA Football coaches (certainly not the brutes over at Ohio State, am I right?).

Forbes: Tell us about a time when lessons learned from the ancients contributed to your success.

Paterno: I’ve always admired the way Aeneas stood tall in the face of adversity knowing he had a destiny. I have tried to let that help guide me.

He even knows about the Aeneid! What a surprise! Perhaps he would be interested in teaching CAMS 045 for a semester.

Later on in the interview, JoePa reveals his “secret ambition”:

To be a good father and grandfather.

It’s just fantastic that Forbes got JoePa to reveal this deep, dark secret. It must be tough coming to grips with publically announcing that you want to be a good father and grandfather. But shhhhhhh… don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret!