There’ll Never Be Another Joe Paterno!

Say whatever you like about late, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, but it says right here Eye On Sports collegiate gridiron fans that there will never, ever be another college football coach like Joe Paterno.

The man stood for honesty and integrity in a sport where underhanded cheating and backdoor deals with ‘unnamed boosters’ are more of the norm than abnormal. If you’re child went to Penn State to play football for Paterno, you know he got a genuine college education from one of the best schools in the country as Paterno made his players maintain a high grade level before it ever became commonplace – and now – mandatory!

In hindsight, could the beloved ‘Joe Pa’ have done more after initially finding out about Jerry Sandusky?

Undoubtedly and he even stated this fact. However, in his defense, Paterno, who is from a totally different era, never had to deal with anything remotely close to the horrific nature of Sandusky’s alleged crimes and more importantly, did, A), what he was required to do by law and B) never committed any crime himself.

Paterno built his program on the credo "Success with Honor," and those closest to him know he lived his motto as well.

Paterno won 409 games in his Hall of Fame career and took the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl games and two national championships. More than 250 of the players Paterno coached went on to the NFL.

Paterno’s family released a statement Sunday morning to announce his death: "His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled."

"He died as he lived," the statement said. "He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community."

Again, you can say whatever you like about Paterno’s handling of the Sandusky situation, but we here at Eye On Sports say Paterno was a great man that did far more good in his life than the average man – and how many people can say that?