Happy Birthday Coach Paterno!
- Thread starter JoeBatters1
- Start date
Ironic it is Joe’s birthday today and we also mourn the loss of one of his legendary players and staunchest supporters in Franco. A bittersweet day.
I’m only 35 and didn’t get to see enough of JoePa’s career but the respect I have for him is not measurable. I don’t care what the outsiders say, he talked the talk and walked the walk. Anyone who followed his career, his team or his school is better for experiencing JoePa. Success with Honor. Miss you Coach.
Happy Birthday 
Joe. I don’t know how it works up there but I guess you already know one of your kids is joining you today.
Joe. I don’t know how it works up there but I guess you already know one of your kids is joining you today.The greatest coach ever... period. Have a boubon with Franco today in heaven
Joe's reach went beyond the football team because he was so involved with the school. We saw him around campus. He was so accessible that my gym teacher for a jogging class took us right to Joe's office without advance notice, but Joe wasn't there. I wasn't on the football team, but Joe had an influence on me. His drive and determination were a lesson for all. Joe was much more than a football coach. It was a special time when I was at PSU, 1985-1989. They played for 2 national championships and won one. My father's uncle was a railroad engineer from DuBois, PA. They called him "Du Boy." He transported raw materials from central and western PA to the Bethlehem Steel Plant in Lackawanna, NY, which was the 2nd largest steel mill in the world at the time. My family was from South Buffalo, which was right next to Lackawanna and a lot of South Buffalo folk worked at the plant. My father's uncle loved PSU football and it rubbed off on my Dad. Most of the South Buffalo folk were/are Notre Dame fans because it was predominantly Irish Catholic. Being a PSU fan, my Dad was going against the South Buffalo grain. That's why I went to PSU. PSU football and Joe were such a part of the national scene. I remember that in 1984, I had been admitted to PSU and I was watching unranked PSU play number 9 Boston College. PSU won 37-30 on a nationally televised game on ABC. It was a very special time and I have very fond memories of it all.
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Sorry, coach, that your birthday was upstaged by one of your players.
I am certain that you didn't mind it at all. You, along with his parents, showed him how to be a reflection of God's light in the world. How to treat others.
I am sure that after God welcomed him home, you were there to pat him on the back and tell him that he has earned his eternal reward (just like you did).
Hoping that I can earn the same.
Thanks for your example.
Dibbs.
I am certain that you didn't mind it at all. You, along with his parents, showed him how to be a reflection of God's light in the world. How to treat others.
I am sure that after God welcomed him home, you were there to pat him on the back and tell him that he has earned his eternal reward (just like you did).
Hoping that I can earn the same.
Thanks for your example.
Dibbs.
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