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Let’s hear it for
‘The Man’
By George Starks
Photo courtesy of gopsusports.com
A lot has happened in the world of sports this past week. The firing of
Joe Paterno at Penn State to be exact. This is one I don’t agree with.
I realize the head coach in any sport at any level, is responsible for
the well being of that program. The coach is also responsible for the
actions of his/her players.
When the announcement was made, the student body went on a rampage in
protest of this decision. Myself, I can’t blame them. Paterno is a
living legend. The man is 84 years of age and has been with Penn State
football for more than half a century.
Students went to Paterno’s home in a show of support. They overturned
vehicles, and set fires. Governor Tom Corbett, referred to them as
knuckleheads.
I think what burns my backside in this matter is the fact that JoePa
was taking responsibility by stepping down at the end of the season.
The trustees decided to get rid of him now, citing they didn’t want the
university to get another black eye.
Monkey Muffins!
Like many, I think Paterno should have retired a long time ago. It was
also my belief that he should have the right to decide when he was
ready to leave, even though he had no plans to retire until all this
happened.
In my opinion, Paterno should have been given the right, with the
blessing of the trustees, to be allowed to finish the season out. He
should have been given the right to lead his team onto the field for
the last time at whatever bowl game PSU would have been playing in. Who
knows, maybe the national title game.
If the trustees wanted to save face, they should have allowed Joe to
call his shot on this one. By firing him, it did nothing but spark a
riot and give the school the black eye it was trying to avoid to begin
with.
I had the opportunity to be in a interview with Paterno many years ago,
after Penn State demolished Purdue at Purdue, as I was there covering
the game. What I came to find out about the man, was the fact that he
was genuine, honest and all about the education of the students.
Today, PSU will see another person calling the shots on the sidelines.
Even though I’m not a Penn State fan, I am a fan of Paterno. I like his
style and the way he has handled his teams throughout the years. He’s
funny, witty and very sincere. He’s tough and is what all coaches
should be like.
Like Bobby Knight, Paterno has the mentality of a bulldog and a drill
SSgt., all wrapped up into one person but yet, he was fair to his
players and his kids respected him.
The difference between the two coaches is, Knight demanded respect
while Paterno earned it.
The winningest coach in NCAA history, Paterno is going to be missed.
Maybe the NCAA should step in on this one and get it right, I don’t
know. There will never be another one like Joe Paterno and the school
known as linebacker university will never be the same either.
All I can say is: Let’s hear it for ‘The Man’.
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