It was surely a happy day in the valley last week as Joe Paterno smiled high in the heavens along with several proud Penn Staters on campus, as the NCAA announced they settled with the university to reinstate Joe Pa’s football wins. In 2012, Penn State University lost 112 wins due to the Jerry Sandusky scandal which dreadfully shattered the former head coach’s career. Joe Paterno’s spot on top as the FBS Division 1 career list slipped away when the 111 wins were ripped from him, leaving the legendary coach in the second spot behind, Bobby Bowden, former Florida State football coach. However, with the reinstatement of Paterno’s wins, he is now back at the top with 409 wins, the most in Division 1 college history. I spoke to Bryanna Burnside, a sophomore at PSU Worthington-Scranton, who felt the NCAA made the right decision yet she was upset that Joe Paterno was not alive to see his wins and titles restored.
After talking to several students, a large portion of the student body felt sympathy for Joe Pa and that the NCAA was disrespectful to him by taking away his titles and then returning them. I met with two PSU alumni, Julia Pronko and Mark Siderowichz. Julia, a graduate of 2014, said, “When the NCAA took those wins away it may have been literal to them, but it was only metaphorical to everyone else because all those games that the team won with Joe Pa as a coach still happened and even though his wins are ‘official’ again, we’re still Penn State!” Mark, class of 2011, expressed that he felt the NCAA was wrong and acted irrational since they needed a person to blame so the public wouldn’t tear them apart. During the interview, I asked him if he felt any different as a fan and he replied with, “It’s more than football. Being an alumnus it’s hard to see them do this to a man who gave that school so much. I think that restoring the wins is only the beginning.” It is unfortunate that Joe Pa is not here to share this great day with us, but as we keep his pride with us in every challenge we undergo, even in our lowest moments, we can look back at the struggles this university has overcome and we know will thrive, because WE ARE!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.