I couldn’t have been more proud to be a Penn State alumnus than I was last night. It’s not often that anyone has the opportunity to witness history; all from row 19 on the 35 yard line. I sat, with 104,147 souls, as we went through heartbreak, misery, the halftime show…then the heightened excitement (and if you’re a Northwestern fan, heightened excrement) as the boys in blue and white pounded back from near oblivion, to the elation of achieving a hard-earned victory; Joe Paterno’s 400th.
Okay, so I fluffed up the language a little. It was a bit better than saying “over 100 thousand drunken idiots were screaming holy hell…” But, still, regardless if you’re a Penn State fan or not, you must admit that Joe Paterno is one class act. So what if he started coaching during the McKinley administration, and he’s about to celebrate his 147th birthday in December. The point is he still knows how to win. And, do it the right way. There’s no cutting corners. You step out of line, and you clean out your locker. That simple. And, hit the books. Winning isn’t everything, but an education is.
I admire a man who has a competitive spirit but is willing to do the right thing to achieve the best results. That shows a lot of patience. Just like last night; sure, when we were down 21 points just before the half, the lads in blue could have all just assumed the fetal position, or at the very least play not to lose too badly. But, hoo no, not this team. Not with Matt “gee, I have nothing to lose because I’m the backup anyway so let’s kick some ass” McGloin. It was a miracle that Joe decided to put him in there to begin with, considering he’s very loyal to his first-stringers. Not this time.
I’m only going to say that the honor of being college football’s winningest coach couldn’t go to a more deserving coach. Well done, Joe.
We are….Penn State.
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