The university plans to mark the anniversary when the Nittany Lions host Temple on September 17.
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The team announced Thursday a promotions schedule for this season, including a commemoration for Paterno during the September 17 game against Temple at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State’s athletic department on Thursday announced plans to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Joe Paterno’s first game as coach, a move that sparked backlash on social networks by people critical of Paterno’s role in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Paterno was not charged with a crime related to the scandal. His 409 victories are good for the second-most by a head coach in the history of college football, trailing only John Gagliardi (489 wins).
Now, the program is looking to honor the former coach, who died in 2012, for the 50th anniversary of his first game with Penn State in what is a controversial choice. A report surfaced in May that Paterno was informed about Sandusky sexually abusing children as early as 1976. The school removed his statue that stood outside the football stadium in July 2012 after repeated public calls for action.
While he’s always going to be an integral part of the university – his name adorns the library, which he helped fund with a generous donation – it’s beyond unseemly to praise Joe Paterno within the context of a football game.
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By the 2016-17 year, Penn State was slated to be entitled to its normal number of scholarships, 85, after they were restricted by the NCAA. Its current whereabouts are unknown and Penn State has previously stated it is in a “secure location”. News stories displayed here appear in our category for Sports and are licensed via a specific agreement between LongIsland.com and The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news organization. This includes the preparation of derivative works of, or the incorporation of such content into other works.
