Joe Paterno will retire at the end of this season, his 46th as head coach of Penn State.
The college football icon has been under heavy scrutiny the past few days following the arrest of his longtime defensive coordinator on charges of child sex abuse. Though Paterno hasn’t been charged with any crime—nor is he expected to be—pressure from outraged fans over what he could have done to prevent the abuse may have played a role in his decision.
They will certainly miss the living legend.
During his time in Happy Valley the 84-year-old amassed an NCAA record 409 wins—and counting, as his 8-1 Nittany Lions still have three regular-season games left.
His longevity in a sport driven by win-or-be-fired standards is virtually unparalleled. Paterno is the only coach in NCAA Division 1 history to get to 400 wins. Only three others even have 300—Bobby Bowden, Bear Bryant, and Pop Warner.
Wins weren’t the only thing he stood for though. Under his watch 47 players were honored as academic All-Americans, while the school consistently ranked among the leaders in graduated players.
The success in the classroom was still overshadowed by his success on the sidelines. Penn State won AP national titles in 1982 and 1986 as well as having four other undefeated seasons in ‘94, ’73, ‘69, and ’68.
The 12th ranked Nittany Lions host Nebraska (7-2) this Saturday in what will be his final home game.
