Somebody vandalized the Paternoville sign

 Vandals stir emotions in Penn State community

Outside Penn State’s Beaver Stadium are a number of small signs, designed to mark different traditions and facts about the football program, campus and traditions that go along with Penn State football. We obviously are well aware of the emotions that have run rampant in State College in recent months, following the news of the scandalous activity that (allegedly) took place on campus and the (alleged) ineptitude of the authoritative figures in handling the dark situation. This all somehow linked to former head coach Joe Paterno in a controversial way, which ultimately removed him from his position as head coach just a week after setting the division one all-time coaching victories record. Paterno was viewed as  a scapegoat by many Penn Staters. Right or wrong, Paterno’s passing in January was a somber time for Penn State and the college football community, with a legacy tarnished for the time being.

So imagine the outrage that has returned on campus following news that the Paternoville sign, located outside Gate A of Beaver Stadium, was found bent in half, with the sign actually missing form the scene on Friday. As you might envision, a number of Penn State students are not at all happy about he act of mischief. There is probably some frat boy hiding the Paternoville sign in his closet or under his bed, because if too many people happen to find out who has it, it might be an unpleasant encounter for the vandal.

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Episode 100: Drew Astorino Reflects on Penn State, Joe Paterno

Penn State safety discusses his training for a shot at the NFL

The 2011 season had plenty of negative story lines pollute the college football world, starting with realignment debates and tension in the south west and along the east coast and ending with one of the most unique twists in college athletics history. The Jerry Sandusky scandal rocked Penn State’s campus in a way nobody could ever imagine, just as Penn State was feeling confident about their chances at a Big Ten championship title.

A week after an Illinois field goal attempt clanked off the goal post, handing Joe Paterno his 409th career victory and moving him past Eddie Robinson for most all-time division one victories, the world cam crashing down on the program off the field. Sandusky’s malicious acts resulted in the firing of Penn State president, and BCS Presidential oversight committee chairman, Graham Spanier and Paterno, which sparked a raucous reaction from the student body. Tom Bradley was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season, which saw Penn State drop two of their final three regular season games and end with another loss in the TicketCity Bowl against Houston. Despite losing game son the field as the university and community find ways to heal and move forward, Drew Astorino was right in the middle of it all.

Astorino, a team captain, saw the players on his team come together in a way that not many teams may have. From the moment Penn State walked out of the tunnel at Beaver Stadium prior to taking on Nebraska in the first game following the Sandusky revelations and the firing of Paterno through the bitter end against Wisconsin and Houston, the 2011 Nittany Lions formed a bond that was as strong as could be. It was through these tough times that allowed Penn State’s student-athletes to rally together and grow in more ways than one.

Now Astorino is working hard to try and get a crack in the NFL, and he took some time to reflect on the past year, and his path to Penn State, and to discuss what he is doing to try and get an opportunity to play on Sundays this fall.

Have a listen to the podcast below (or click here to listen), then make sure you are subscribed in iTunes, and following the show on Get Glue! And don’t forget, this podcast can be heard at anytime on Stitcher Radio (and click here for a promo code to get started and a chance to win $100)!

Thanks to CRM Sports Management for setting up this interview with Drew Astorino and our previous conversation with William & Mary defensive end Marcus Hyde.

I would also like to thank you, the readers and podcast listeners, for a heck of a year. Today’s podcast and corresponding blog entry mark the 100th edition of the podcast and this site’s 500th entry. Hopefully it goes without saying that it would not be possible with you and the support of this site’s advertisers and partners. Here’s hoping for a fun ride to the 200th episode of the podcast, and another 500 blog entries. Thanks for being a part of it all.

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Day of virtual silence for Joe Paterno

In honor of Joe Paterno

On Thursday No 2-Minute Warning will join Nittany Lion’s Den in a day of virtual silence, in honor of Joe Paterno. There will be no blog entires tomorrow, in honor of the former Penn State head coach. We will be back on Friday.

Joe Paterno: December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012

Paterno lived an honorable life, but not without flaws

Joe Paterno, the all-time leader in coaching wins in division one football, has died at the age of 85, ending a battle with lung cancer just two and a half months after being terminated as head coach of Penn State‘s football program. The Paterno family released a statement Sunday morning confirming the news of the legendary coach’s passing.

“It is with great sadness that we announce that Joe Paterno passed away earlier today,” he Paterno statement read.

Paterno won 409 games during a coaching career that goes back to 1950, when he came to Penn State as an assistant head coach under his former head coach at Brown, Rip Engle. Paterno served as an assistant for 16 seasons until replacing Engle as head coach in 1966. Paterno would lead Penn State until November of 2011 when he was relieved of his duties in the wake of a damning Jerry Sandusky scandal that rocked the campus and community surrounding Penn State. During his lengthy coaching career Penn State won a pair of national championships and had more undefeated teams go unrewarded for their efforts, most recently in 1994.

Paterno was more about academics than he was with performance on the field. Having a program built on molding men was more of an achievement for Paterno than winning football games. Paterno’s players routinely received high marks in the classroom and Penn State’s football players regularly ranked highly as a team, with the likes of Northwestern and Stanford, more than a number of universities where football is a way of life. Paterno and his wife donated millions back to the university, which helped to build a wing on to the school’s library, which is named after him.

Paterno won multiple coach of the year awards, and a small handful of Big Ten titles. In 1986 Sports Illustrated named Paterno their Sportsman of the Year, an honor usually reserved for athletes. His 24 bowl victories are more than many schools have totaled bowl appearances. Paterno was inducted in to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007. A year later Paterno led his last team to a BCS game, with the 2008 Nittany Lions reaching the Rose Bowl, Paterno’s second trip to Pasadena.

Penn State won the final game of Paterno’s coaching career, holding on for a late win against Illinois when an Illinois field goal clanked off the goal post. The win broke a tie with Eddie Robinson for the most wins in division one college football history. By the time Penn State played their next football game, Paterno was controversially terminated.

The Paterno family requests that donations to the Special Olympic and THON be made in Joe Paterno’s honor, in lieu of flowers. Paterno was a strong supporter of the Special Olympics and THON.

“His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled,” a Paterno family statement reads. “He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them.”

Paterno is survived by his wife, Sue, five children.

Related links after the jump…

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Episode 091: Bob Davie, Penn State, coaching hot seats and more

Stephen Prather from Coaches By The Numbers

As we get closer to the end of the regular season the 2011 coaching carousel is getting greased up for another wild off-season ride.

New Mexico already found their guy in Bob Davie, who replaces Mike Locksley, but the question is whether or not it is a good fit.

Also, with all of the turmoil up in State College, Pennsylvania one of the major story lines in the college football coaching world is just where exactly Penn State goes from here. Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has been named the interim head coach by the administration in the wake of a series of unfortunate events that forced Joe Paterno out the door rather abruptly. Unfortunately for Bradley, a Penn State lifer in so many ways, his time on the Penn State sidelines looks to be drawing to a close as it is expected that Penn State will continue to clean house in and around the program.

So who’s the next guy in line? Is it Urban Meyer? Al Golden? Greg Schiano?

To help me discuss these topics with a little more insight than I can shed I invited Stephen Prather form Coaches By The Numbers to the podcast. Prather and I discuss Davie’s position in New Mexico and a number of candidates Penn State may or may not consider. As a tease, I think outside the box and drop a name nobody has mentioned yet (Georgia’s Mark Richt). Feel free to listen to my logic and Prather’s responses, then let me know what you think in the comments section below (or on Twitter).

We also take a look at some of the highs and lows in the coaching ranks as we are just a few weeks form the conclusion of the season. Who is on their way out and who deserves some worthy recognition for a job well done this season?

Have a listen to the podcast below, then make sure you are subscribed in iTunes, and following the show on Get Glue! Follow Coaches By The Numbers on Twitter (follow me too). And don’t forget, this podcast can be heard at anytime on Stitcher Radio (and click here for a promo code to get started and a chance to win $100)!

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