Joe paterno biography 2012 olympics

The definitive, #1 New York Times bestselling biography of Joe Paterno and the story of America's love affair with football.

For 46 seasons, Joe Paterno, identified by his classic blue windbreaker and jet black sneakers, would peer through his thick-rimmed glasses and repeat the same thing to his players before practices and game days:. Being raised during the depression, Paterno learned to face adversity at an early age and was almost forced to leave high school early due to the tuition price.

Through hard work and determination, Paterno excelled in the classroom and graduated from high school. After serving in the U. Although Paterno originally planned to be a lawyer after graduating, his college coach Rip Engle convinced him to sign on as an assistant coach at Penn State, where Engle had just accepted the head coaching job.

After Paterno agreed, he quickly fell in love with the program and never looked back. This became evident when he led the team to 37 bowl appearances with 24 wins and an overall record of over wins, a feat that no other major college football coach has ever achieved. The Nitteny Lions achieved their th win in grand fashion on November 6, by coming back against Northwestern and scoring 35 unanswered points in the second half to win the game Paterno was also the only coach to win each of the current four major bowls, including the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange Bowls.

He contributed his time and money to numerous charitable events as well as funded a new wing to the library on campus which was appropriately named the Paterno Library. The team was able to rally with an yard drive for a touchdown in the final seconds of the game, winning Paterno had an exciting end to an impressive legacy as head coach.

Paterno is the definitive account of the epic life of America's winningest college football coach.

In mid-November of , Paterno was diagnosed with lung cancer that would eventually take his life two months later. Although his reign ended abruptly, his legacy as a successful coach will live on. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.