Black Shoe Diaries: Last season, Temple stunned Penn State in the opening game for its first win over the program since 1941.
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David Wharton of the Los Angeles Times passed along a statement from athletic director Sandy Barbour, who said Penn State planned a tribute that would “focus on the commitment he had to student-athletes and academics, as well as highlights of the 1966 game”.
Jerry Sandusky, who coached on Paterno’s staff for three decades until 1999, was convicted in June 2012 on 45 of 48 charges and is serving a 30- to 60-year sentence. However, I think the way Penn State has gone about celebrating Paterno is as tasteful as it can be. It’s speculated that Paterno knew of the scandal and didn’t report the crimes to the police, though he was never charged. The Owls are typically a strong team on defense, and they are giving up just 238.5 yards per game thus far, but those are against two pretty weak offensive teams.
No. 20 Penn State women’s volleyball (5-3) returns home from the road this week, set to host a trio of teams in Rec Hall in the Penn State Invitational. It’s the reason, he said, he received an obscene gesture from one fan, why another spit toward him, why one or two others shouted expletives at him – although he did receive more support than he figured he would from some Penn State fans and Beaver Stadium workers. “As a university, it declared football is more important than the victims who suffered under the watch of it’s beloved coach and, more importantly, all victims who remain silent about the sexual abuse they have suffered”.
Saturday’s tribute was Penn State’s first official recognition of the coach since he was sacked on November 9, 2011. Although he left the game with a left leg injury on the first play, running back Saquon Barkley returned in the second half and ended Temple’s comeback bid with a 55-yard touchdown run with less than eight minutes to play.
Penn State got the ball back after a punt and went 53 yards in nine plays with the help of completions by McSorley of 23 yards to Godwin and 14 yards to Brandon Polk.
Several videos were shown at Beaver Stadium during Saturday’s game against Temple, drawing mixed reviews.
Paterno said before his death from lung cancer in 2012 that, with the benefit of hindsight, he wished he had done more to stop Sandusky. However, according to court documents unsealed during the summer, a Sandusky victim claimed he notified Paterno of abuse in the 1970s.
Prominent former players have led the defense of their coach, whose career included 409 victories, the most in college football history.
Earlier this year, Harris encouraged fans to leave a brick near the small tree where the Paterno statue once stood. He said he wanted former football players to “be able to walk into a place and say, ‘I played football at Penn State, ‘ and have people have that same reverence they had six years ago, because that’s the truth about Penn State”.
Ira Lubert, chairman of the Penn State board, wasn’t sure whether the celebration would ease the rift in the Penn State community over the board’s handling of Paterno. “It’s a good first step”.
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It’s not clear if Paterno’s family will participate during the gametime ceremony.
