Right: Penn State head coach Joe Paterno after realizing that the game was taking longer than expected and he’ll miss out on the senior dinner discount at the local Denny’s.
AP Photo

Did you know that Penn State’s Joe Paterno is entering his 59th year patrolling the sidelines and practice fields in some capacity for the Nittany Lions, and his 43rd as head coach?

Back in 1966, when the average price of a gallon of gas was 32 cents, the average price for a home was $14,200, the average worker made $6,900 per year, and some guy named Cassius Clay defeated some guy named Henry Cooper in two heavyweight title fights in London, Paterno took over the head coaching duties from Hall of Famer, Rip Engle. That’s how long Paterno has been in charge.

Joe Pa went just 5-5 that year in his first season as head coach, but went 8-2-1 the next year before rattling off back-to-back undefeated seasons in both 1968 and ‘69, posting records of 11-0 each year, though the Nittany Lions did not finish No. 1 in any poll.

Following the ‘69 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers made an offer to Paterno, but he turned them down, and they eventually hired some guy by the name of Chuck Noll. Michigan also beckoned, but Joe Pa turned them down as well, and the Wolverines went on to hire some guy named Bo Schembechler.

And he’s been there ever since, even when the New England Patriots made him an offer to not only be the head coach, but tossed in a minority stake in the team back in 1972.

In those 43 years, Joe Pa as won 372 games and two national titles, his first in 1982 and the other coming in 1986.

Since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993 and through the 2007 season, the Nittany Lions had a record of 73-47, which is a winning percentage of .609. In those 15 seasons as a member of the conference, Penn State has won just two Big Ten titles and one outright championship.

If you do the math, 73 wins in the Big Ten over 15 seasons averages out to almost five per season, and in those 15 seasons they have finished 5-3 five times, while eclipsing that mark on five occasions (6-2 in ‘93, ‘96 & ‘97; 7-1 in 2005, and 8-0 in ‘94). Of course, the Lions have finished .500 or less in the five other years, too.

So far this season, Penn State is 8-0 and ranked third in both polls as well as the first BCS standings. But who have they played? No one. The only teams Penn State has played that currently have winning records are Oregon State (4-3) and Illinois (4-3), and the combined record of their opponents is 22-35. Also, out of Penn State’s six Division I-A (FBS) opponents, only two are presently ranked in the top-half out of all 119 teams in total defense.

Unfortunately for Buckeye fans, Anthony Morelli is out of eligibility. Joe Pa’s starting quarterback is junior Darryl Clark, who has passed for 1,531 yards while completing 63.3 percent of his throws with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Pretty good numbers, but that’s what you should have playing against Pop Warner teams.

The Nittany Lions will have a capable back toting the rock with sophomore Evan Royster, who has rushed for 893 yards on 116 carries while averaging of 7.7 yards per rushing attempt to go along with 10 touchdowns.

The top three wide receivers are seniors Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood. All three have at least 25 catches. Butler leads the team in receptions (30) and yards (486), while Norwood tops the list with five TDs.

The top returning tackler form last season, linebacker Sean Lee, tore the ACL in his right knee during spring practice and is out of the year. Leading the Lions in tackles this season is sophomore linebacker Navorro Bowman with 71 stops. Sophomore defensive end Aaron Maybin lead the team in sacks (10) and tackles for loss (14.5).

Oh, one more thing, since 2002, 46 Penn State football players have faced 163 criminal charges, according to an ESPN analysis of Pennsylvania court records and reports. Twenty-seven players have been convicted of or have pleaded guilty to a combined 45 counts.

Tags: Buckeye Football //