We are now a month into the spring semester. We are now deep into our assignments, starting group activities, getting to know our classmates and what our professors expect from us. For me, it has been a good month, minus one week of sadness. The Pennsylvania State University lost a mentor, recruiter, father, grandfather and legendary icon. Joe Paterno will surely be missed.
Mourners left hundreds of mementos in honor of Joe Paterno at his statue near Beaver Stadium. Photo Credit: John Kaminski
On Thursday, January 26, 2012, 12,600 people filled the Bryce Jordan Center to memorialize Joe Paterno. Many, many more watched online and on television. Coach Paterno touched millions more in one way or another throughout his life. Joe recruited more than football players to our University. He recruited students who believed in his morals and beliefs. The “Grand Experiment” put education ahead of athletics, while still producing championship teams. I was one of the non-athletes recruited to Penn State by Joe Paterno.
Some of my earliest memories with my father were spent on Saturday afternoons watching Penn State football games. I remember the first game that I was allowed to stay up late to watch was the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, which an unbeaten Penn State beat undefeated Miami for the National Championship. I always respected Joe Paterno for his humble interviews, and how he always stressed education. I knew from that point on that I wanted to be a Nittany Lion.
In 1995, my senior year of high school, I only wanted to send my college application to Penn State, but my mother and guidance counselor urged me to submit applications to a few other universities as back-up plans. I reluctantly submitted applications to West Virginia University and Lehigh University, in addition to Penn State. My acceptance letter from West Virginia University was the first to come. I sat it aside. I then was accepted to Lehigh University, and was given a full academic scholarship. I sat that aside. My mother was not happy with that choice. I then got the acceptance letter from Penn State, to attend the University Park campus. I had always considered myself a Penn Stater, but from that moment on, it was official. I attended Penn State in the fall of 1996.
During my time at Penn State, I was also employed by the Athletic Department at State College High School as a coach and an assistant to the Athletic Director. I made connections with Penn State coaches of many sports and Athletic Directors at the university, but I still had not met Joe.
Then the day came during my third year at Penn State. I was meeting an Assistant Athletic Director at his office, as he was giving me class credit for the time I was putting in at State College High School, and I saw the man I admired in the hallway. I stopped and stretched out my hand, and he gladly reached back to shake it. All I could muster up to say was, “How is it going Coach?” All he said was, “Eh, it’s going good.” I didn’t introduce myself. The conversation didn’t go any further than that, but for one moment, I shared a moment in my life with Joe Paterno. I will cherish this moment forever as he was the reason I came to Penn State, and the reason I am still here.
Our community did not lose a football coach. We lost a mentor and leader. Through tragedy and triumph, Joe has set an example for me that I will strive to live by for the rest of my life. When wrong, I will admit I may have not done enough. When right, I won’t take the credit, but give the credit to those who were essential for me being right. This is how I will memorialize Joe Paterno.
About John Blake
Splitting my time between Marion Center, Pennsylvania and Kandahar, Afghanistan, I'm majoring in Organizational Leadership. One of the reasons fall is my favorite seasons is because of Penn State football! Read more about me.
