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Strange as it may seem, Paterno actually entertained--however briefly--the prospect of taking over the University of Miami's scandal-ridden program last year. "There was just enough adventure or something to the idea that it scratched my bark. I thought about it one night, then called and said, 'For crying out loud, I'm not the right guy for the job.'"
Paterno tells a story about a meeting he had with a player and his parents, in which he had to tell them their son would not be allowed to play because he hadn't applied himself in summer school. "His mom was crying, and she came up to me, and I thought she was gonna hit me. But instead she hugged me and said, 'Thank you for caring.'" By the same token, Paterno has kept other athletes on scholarship and told them to forget about football so they could concentrate on their studies.
Some might call what he practices Paterno-ism, and there are others who say that the coach is out of touch. But Don Ferrell, Penn State's academic athletic adviser for 12 years, thinks differently. "Blacks like to say they don't believe in Joe," says Ferrell, an African American. "They think what he's done is too good to be true. They have a certain perception of Joe that leaves me speechless. Joe's an educator and a father, and not just a coach. He never lets the young people down. He is the ultimate experience."
Or, in the words of Penn State senior Scott Stewart, "Coach is old, but he's really cool."