In a release made by his family to the Associated Press this morning, Joe Paterno’s death was confirmed. He was 85. We will be posting links to content published around the web here, with additional original content forthcoming. Stay tuned.

Our Coverage

Coping With The Loss Of A Legend John Tecce
Forever In Your Debt Kevin Horne
Learning Tradition from My Poppy Shawn Christ
How to Remember Our Coach Chadwick Lynch
Dear SuePa (Community Post) Christine Keller
A Night Remembering Joe Paterno Ryan Beckler

StateCollege.com Coverage

Emotions Swarm Campus Following Paterno’s Passing Nate Mink
Penn State Coach Joe Paterno Dies (1926-2012) Mike Poorman

Other Coverage

Joe Paterno and How I Knew Him David Jones (The Patriot News)
The Once-King of Penn State – Interactive Graphic Justin Sablich and Nick Corasaniti (The New York Times)
Requiem for the Soul of Penn State Phil Sheridan (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Spurrier, Saban Statements on Paterno Brian Bennett (ESPN)
Chasing Joe Pa Steve Clancy
Joe Paterno Dies, Leaving a Record for Others to Debate Sally Jenkins (Washington Post)
Paterno Spirit: Like Father, Like Coach William C. Rhoden (New York Times)

Multimedia Coverage

Official Statements

Statement from Liberal Arts Undergraduate Studies Dean Chris Long

Joe Paterno said that he wanted to be remembered as an educator who made Penn State a better place. However impressive his record as a football coach, his most lasting and meaningful legacy remains the contributions he has made to enrich the educational lives of our students.  Nowhere has this legacy been more palpably felt or more deeply appreciated than in the College of the Liberal Arts.

Joe, Sue, and the entire Paterno family have established scholarships supporting students who could not otherwise afford a Penn State education; they have funded graduate student fellowships, the Richards Civil War Center, and the Paterno Family Professorship. The Paternos have found ways to support the academic mission of our College at every level.

It is fitting, therefore, that their greatest contribution has been their visionary support for the Paterno Liberal Arts Undergraduate Fellows Program.  With one-hundred students set to graduate in the spring of 2012, over two-hundred others who have performed their way into the Schreyer Honors College by aspiring to be a Paterno Fellow, and almost four-hundred students still aspiring, the Paterno Fellows program is well positioned to enrich the educational lives of our undergraduates for generations to come.

The program embodies these words Joe Paterno spoke to the graduates of the class of 1973:

“It is being involved in a common cause which brings us joy and memories which endure. It is making our very best effort, that we have stretched to the very limit of our ability, which makes us bigger and able to stretch again: to reach even higher as we undertake new challenges.”

Our common cause is education, and Joe Paterno has made us bigger and stretched us to higher achievement.  Now, he has left us and we miss him. But his legacy, our common cause, endures.

Statement from former President Bryce Jordan (via)

Joe Paterno left an unmatched example of the right way to build and operate a collegiate football program at a major university. His legacy goes far beyond that, however. What was unique about his career was his passionate and often expressed interest in Penn State’s very reason for being — excellence in education across all of its disciplines and at all levels of its offerings.

To these and other qualities essential for a great university, Joe gave far more than lip service, and over more than six decades, his efforts never wavered. His stewardship to the ideals of the university may be seen in the graduation rate of his players, the enrichment of the university’s library — both in content and facilities, the existence of faculty fellowships in the College of the Liberal Arts, the enhancement of the university’s religious life, and in the superb leadership he supplied to Penn State’s philanthropic campaigns. Joe’s legacy is firm — and lasting.

This is a terribly sad day for all who love Penn State. Barbara and I send our deepest condolences to Sue and the entire Paterno family.

Statement from Acting AD Dave Joyner

This is a tremendous loss for Penn State and the world. Joe Paterno was a great man who was one of the greatest influences of my life and the lives of Penn Staters. For all of us who played for Joe, he taught us so much.

He was a teacher and an educator first. He taught us about self-discipline and paying attention to the small details. He built young men from the inside out. He’s famous for saying, ‘If you keep hustling and plugging away, something good will happen’. And we all discovered how true that was.

Because of the way he led and taught Penn Staters, the world is such a better place, not just because of his direct influence, but because of the influence he had on so many who have graduated from Penn State to positively impact the world.

Statement from Tom Bradley

Words seem to pale in a moment such as this. The terms “icon” and “legend” have been often used to describe Joe Paterno. Certainly, he was both within the world of college athletics. But to those of us who played for him, to those of us who coached with him and to those of us who had the privilege to call him a friend, Joe Paterno was much more.

To me, he was my mentor for 37 years and the lessons that I learned from him as a player, coach and friend will live on with me forever. It was Coach Paterno who saw what I could be and helped me to realize that potential. He was a tremendous teacher not because he knew all of the answers but because he challenged us to find the answers for ourselves. He made us better men than we believed we could be — both on and off the field. And when we lost our way or became unsure of ourselves, it was Coach Paterno who was there to encourage us, guide us and remind us that we must always strive to succeed with honor.

Coach Paterno never believed that his role as “Coach” ended after practice, or when the fourth quarter wound down or when a student-athlete graduated. He was a coach for life. I am deeply grateful to have had Coach Paterno in my life. He was the epitome of class and his spirit will live on in all of us who had the great honor of knowing him and running out of the tunnel with him on so many autumn Saturdays.

My thoughts and prayers are with Coach Paterno’s devoted wife, Sue, his son Jay, with whom I coached so many years, and with the entire Paterno family during this sad and difficult time.

Statement from Mount Nittany Medical Center

On January 22, 2012 at 9:25 am, Joseph V. Paterno died of metastatic small cell carcinoma of the lung at Mount Nittany Medical Center, State College, Pennsylvania. Joe was surrounded by his family at the time of his passing, and they request privacy during this difficult time.

Penn State Football Coach Bill O’Brien

“It is with great sadness that I am compelled to deliver this message of condolence and tribute to a great man, husband, father and someone who is more than just a coach, Joe Paterno. First, on behalf of Penn State Football, we offer our sincerest condolences to the Paterno family for their loss. We also offer our condolences to the Penn State community and, in particular, to those who wore the Penn State colors, our Nittany Lion football players and alumni. Today they lost a great man, coach, mentor and, in many cases, a father figure, and we extend our deepest sympathies. The Penn State Football program is one of college football’s iconic programs because it was led by an icon in the coaching profession in Joe Paterno. There are no words to express my respect for him as a man and as a coach. To be following in his footsteps at Penn State is an honor. Our families, our football program, our university and all of college football have suffered a great loss, and we will be eternally grateful for Coach Paterno’s immeasurable contributions.”

Full-Text of Statement from President Erickson and Penn State Trustees

We grieve for the loss of Joe Paterno, a great man who made us a greater university. His dedication to ensuring his players were successful both on the field and in life is legendary and his commitment to education is unmatched in college football. His life, work and generosity will be remembered always.

The University plans to honor him for his many contributions and to remember his remarkable life and legacy. We are all deeply saddened.

Full-Text of Paterno Family Statement

It is with great sadness that we announce that Joe Paterno passed away earlier today. His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled.

He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community.

He has been many things in his life – a soldier, scholar, mentor, coach, friend and father. To my mother he was and is her soul mate, and the last several weeks have shown the strength of their love. To his children and grandchildren he is a shining example of how to live a good, decent and honest life, a standard to which we aspire.

When he decided to forego a career in law and make coaching his vocation, his father Angelo had but one command: Make an impact.

As the last 61 years have shown, Joe made an incredible impact. That impact has been felt and appreciated by our family in the form of thousands of letters and well wishes along with countless acts of kindness from people whose lives he touched. It is evident also in the thousands of successful student athletes who have gone on to multiply that impact as they spread out across the country.

And so he leaves us with a peaceful mind, comforted by his “living legacy” of five kids, 17 grandchildren, and hundreds of young men whose lives he changed in more ways than can begin to be counted.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family requests that donations be made to the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania or the Penn State-THON, The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.

Full-Text of Paternoville Coordination Committee Release

It is with great sadness that the thousands of participants and loyal devotees of Paternoville receive the news of the passing of Coach Joesph Vincent Paterno.

Our deepest sympathies go out to Mrs. Sue Paterno and the generations of the Paterno family. Also in our hearts are the players and coaches, past and present, who have had the opportunity to learn from Coach Paterno.

We are proud to continue to represent the Paterno name with pride and respect this coming football season as we continue call our encampment outside Beaver Stadium “Paternoville.” We recently announced our commitment to the “Paternoville” name and we are happy and that Coach Paterno himself was aware that we would be continuing this great tradition.

“Penn State would not be the special place that it is without the contributions of Joe Paterno. I am honored to have been associated with the Paterno name as President of Paternoville, and my heart is with the Paterno family at this time.” – Paternoville Coordination Committee President John Tecce