Through all the speeches from former players and alumni, there was one that stood out above the rest. Phil Knight never went to Penn State. It's unclear if he had ever been to State College before. But aside from Jay Paterno, Kinght's ten minute eulogy of Joe Paterno was the one that touched the heart of every Penn Stater who was lucky enough to watch the "Memorial for Joe" event Thursday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State President Rodney Erickson spoke to the UPUA and briefly took questions at the beginning of Wednesday's legislative meeting. Erickson touched on a number of topics, most notably his disdain for our pseudo-holiday State Patty's Day.
The first word to describe the life of Joe Paterno under his name at his statue outside Beaver Stadium is not "Coach". Certainly Joe would have been opposed to that. No -- the first word is "Educator", forever emblazoned in bronze for generations to see. And rightfully so.
He's gone now, but Joe Paterno's impact on this world may never fully be realized. One day, my kids will have Joe Paterno to thank for being a part of making them who they are -- because he will always be a part of me. People will debate his legacy for the rest of time, but I know the real heart of Joe Paterno.
Thank you Coach. I will forever be in your debt.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Inside the Assembly Room, located in the corner of the basement of the Nittany Lion Inn, I sat listening in disgust as Franco Harris and Anthony Lubrano discussed Joe Paterno and the Board of Trustees with a lively audience of around 150. Most attendees were part of the recently established group called Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, whose goal is to reform the Board of Trustees and find "justice" for Joe Paterno.
When Pat Chambers was hired by Penn State last June, he knew he had a tall mountain to climb. There were times this season when Penn State was left for dead, and many, including myself, had trouble finding another game on the schedule that they could win. And yet here we are, with ten games left before the conference tournament, and Penn State has proven that they can beat any team in the conference.