Successful, stubborn and highly principled, this Brooklyn native has been head coach of the Nittany Lions for a staggering 42 years, making him the longest-serving head coach in the history of college football. Even more remarkable is the often-forgotten fact that Paterno was a Penn State assistant for 15 years before taking the top job. In other words, he’s been coaching football in Happy Valley, either as an assistant or as head coach, since 1950.
And what a half-century it’s been. In his time at Penn State, Paterno has literally put Penn State on the map. He's picked up two national championships, won more bowl games than any other coach, been named National Coach of the Year five times, and compiled a career record of 372-125-3. Only Paterno’s close friend, Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, has more wins — with 373.
But as any Penn State partisan will point out, there’s much more to Paterno than football. An Ivy League man, Paterno has always insisted that his Penn State program emphasize to players that college should be about education, not just football. Early in his career, he introduced the so-called “Grand Experiment,” his plan to build a program that would excel both in the classroom and on the field.
For the most part, Paterno has succeeded: His teams have routinely posted some of the best graduation rates in all of college football. And, of course, they’ve won a whole lot of football games.
By The Numbers
Paterno’s career record of 372-125-3 gives him a winning percentage of 74.7, good enough for third-best among college coaches with 10 or more years experience. He’s coached exactly 500 games, second-most in college football history.
Penn State under Paterno has recorded five undefeated, untied seasons, and a total of seven undefeated regular seasons. Four of Paterno’s undefeated, untied teams were denied the national championship, however, and the snubs have made Paterno one of the nation’s leading advocates for a college football playoff system.
Paterno has coached 19 different 10-win teams, 13 Top 5 teams and 21 Top 10 teams. Thirty-three of Paterno’s teams have finished in the Top 25. Twenty-two of them won the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the best college football team in the East.
Bowl Dominance
Paterno has coached in more bowl games (34) and won more bowl games (23) than any other coach. His overall record in bowls is 23-10-1. In New Year’s bowl games, Paterno is 16-6. His record in the big four bowl games — Rose, Orange, Fiesta and Sugar — is 12-4, including his two national championship wins (over Georgia in the 1983 Sugar and Miami in the 1987 Fiesta). Paterno is the only coach in history to win the Rose, Sugar, Cotton, Orange and Fiesta bowls.
Defining Moment
When Penn State traveled to Arizona in January of 1987 to take on the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes, few gave Paterno and his Nittany Lions much of a shot.
The Hurricanes, coached by future Super Bowl winner Jimmy Johnson, boasted one of the best offenses in college football history, led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde and future NFL Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin, among others. Meanwhile, the Hurricane defense, anchored by defensive tackle Jerome Brown, was fast, menacing and dominant. The Hurricanes were good — and they let everyone know it, too. They loved to hit. They loved to score. They loved to talk trash. But at least they backed it up. And so in the weeks leading up to this historic Fiesta Bowl, just about everyone in college football expected Miami to dominate the conservative, old-school Nittany Lions.
Then the Nittany Lions took the field and delivered Paterno the signature win of his career. Fittingly, they did it in Penn State style — stifling defense (they intercepted Testaverde five times), mistake-free (some would say bland) offense and careful special teams. Penn State barely moved the ball, picking up just 162 yards and 8 first downs. But when the Nittany Lions defense needed to make a play, they did. And every time they got a chance to deliver a crushing hit, they did. Eventually, the punishment — and possibly the frustration — took its toll on the ‘Canes.
In the end, the Nittany Lions emerged with a 14-10 win in one of the highest-rated college football games ever played.
