Joe Paterno

Joseph Vincent Paterno (born December 21, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York), nicknamed Joe Pa, has been the head coach of The Pennsylvania State University's college football team since 1966.

Stances on college football issues

Paterno has long been an advocate for some type of college football play-off system. The question has been posted to him frequently over the years, as only one of his five undefeated teams has been voted national champions.

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Paterno believes that scholarship college athletes should receive a modest stipend, so that they have some spending money. As justification, Paterno points out that many scholarship athletes are from poor families and that other students have time to hold down a part-time job. On the other hand, busy practice and conditioning schedules prevent college athletes from working during the school year.

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Paterno believes that all true freshmen should be red-shirted by NCAA rule, as was done in the past. He does, however, play exceptionally talented true-freshmen so as not to be at a competetive disadvantage. In fact, some Penn State recruits, like recruits at many other schools, now graduate from high school a semester early so that they can enroll in college during the spring semester and participate in spring practice.

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Paterno has been an outspoken opponent of gambling on college sports. He would like to see legalised college sports gambling in Nevada ended. Cynics point out that college football would not be as popular as it is and garner such high TV ratings if no one gambled on the sport.

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Penn State was scheduled to play at Virginia in a nationally televised game on ESPN on Thursday, September 13, 2001. Paterno, who grew up near the site of the World Trade Center, immediately spoke out in favour of postponing or cancelling the game. Shortly after Penn State and Virginia officials decided to move their game to December, the NCAA and NFL followed suit, and no college or pro football was played on a fall weekend for the first time since the assassination on John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Related Topics:
World Trade Center - John F. Kennedy

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