Jodi: We realize this may be a controversial post for some people. Emotions are still high on the scandal at Penn State. I want to preface this post that our hearts and prayers go out to the people who were harmed by Jerry Sandusky. There is no excuse for such behavior, and people must be held responsible for their actions. This post is not to say everything is ok, or to blindly glorify football or bad behavior in any way. It is about our personal connections, as a whole, to a man we all wished we knew better and left us, it seems, way too soon.
A couple of weekends ago, Randy and I went up to State College to visit a some friends for a birthday. While we were there, we couldn't help but pay our respects at the Joe statue - turned memorial.
Randy: If you are not a Penn Stater, go read some blog about home improvements or what the Kardashians are doing. This post is probably not for you. No offense, but if you don't get it, you likely never will. And that is ok.
As Jodi said, we went to visit State College for our friends' daughter's 3rd birthday. And as we rolled into town, we had to pick up an item from Wegman's that we forgot at home. Well, we bought two magazines dedicated to Joe Paterno. And we also bought roses and a St. Joseph candle to bring to the Paterno statue outside of Beaver Stadium. So off we went.
How many people would you expect to see at the Paterno statue in State College at 10pm on a Friday night during the school year? I'd have guessed maybe 1 or 2. Yes, he'd passed only the previous weekend, but Penn Staters know how to start a weekend on a Thursday night. Hell, I remember going out to a special at some bar on Thursday night and not rolling home until Sunday afternoon. All I remembered was that I didn't know how I ended up in that apartment building. But I digress.
There were about 30 people at the statue. The parking lot across the street was full. Amazing!
I am still awe struck. Look at these pictures. It must have been about 500 sq feet of roses, toys, cards, signs, hats, shirts, notes and other memorabilia thanking Joe Paterno. There is just a love for the icon that is Joe Paterno. And if you don't understand, you're not a Penn Stater. Hey, why are you reading this? I already told you to read about the Kardashians.
On the wall around the statue, it has the outcomes of every game of every season that Paterno coached. And there are grandfathers telling their grandkids about games from the 70's. And not Bowl games... but some regular season game that meant something to them. Hell, I told Jodi about the PSU vs. Arizona game that I got tickets for me and my buddy, Adam (Arizona alum). Arizona scored the first 7 points on the opening drive and Penn State scored the next 40+. Adam called it "the day Randy ruined my life." But I think he was more upset by the 80 year old drunk guy chasing him in the parking lot for wearing a U of A shirt.
I stared at the 1994 plaque, my freshman year. With no offense to my wife, the 1994 school year was one of the most fun times of my life. And for 13 undefeated Saturdays, Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions gave me the time of my life.
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| Our roses for Joe |
It was a great idea by Jodi to go. It was a great way to show appreciation to a guy I only encountered 3 times... mostly accidentally.
Jodi: In my family, Randy and I went to Penn State. My brother went to Penn State. His girlfriend went to Penn State. My parents went to, met and got married at Penn State. All my aunts and uncles on my mom's side. Most of my cousins, my uncle on my dad's side... (Am I starting to sound like Mona Lisa Vito in My Cousin Vinny yet?) We are a Penn State family, and we have all went to and graduated from Penn State while Joe Paterno was the head coach.
Of course we realize that Joe's real legacy is not the 409 wins.
And all of these bouquets, pictures, candles, hats and other symbols of personal memories are not for a man who was merely a football coach.
I argue that Joe knew more than football. This is for the man who made sure my mom was with them when the football team walked from the cafeteria to the library every night so she didn't have to walk in the dark by herself. This is for the man who added a wing onto that same library while I was at Penn State with his own money.
These are for the man who said, "It's the name on the front of the jersey that matters most, not the one on the back." For the man who promised recruits an excellent education, not a professional football career. To me, he is a man who had faith bigger than the pressures, temptations and scandals of college football.
"They ask me what I'd like written about me when I'm gone. I hope they write I made Penn State a better place, not just that I was a good football coach." -Joe Paterno
We will miss you, Joe.
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