Joe Paterno Bio

Joe Paterno, head coach of Penn State, is one of the greatest coaches of all-time. Joe was born on December 21st, 1926 and lived thru the great depression. He attended Brown University where he played and studied football. At cornerback he tied the record for career interceptions, 14. Not only did he play cornerback, he played quarterback. Throughout his coaching career he has given us his input on several college football issues. Some of his beliefs are: creating some type of college football playoff system, redshirt all true freshman, and put an end to legalized college sports gambling. In politics Joe is a conservative. Also, he was close Friends with the former president George H.W. Bush. In February 2008 he donated money to Barrack Obama's campaign. Throughout Paterno's coaching career he was 372-125-3. In bowl games he was 23-10-1. Two NCAA Championships were won by him, one in 1982 and one in 1986. He also led Penn State to two Big Ten titles. Lastly, he has won all of the following awards: (1972) Walter Camp Coach of the Year, (1978) Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, (1981) Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year, (1982) Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, (1986) SI Sportsman of the Year, (1986) Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, (1986) Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, (1994) Walter Camp Coach of the Year, (2002) Amos Alonzo Stagg Award, (2005) Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year, (2005) The Home Depot Coach of the Year, (2005) Walter Camp Coach of the Year.