30 best college football coaches of all time, ranked
By Nick Villano
6. Joe Paterno, Penn State 1966-2011
We understand this one comes with a lot of controversy. How do you separate the decisions by Joe Paterno the football coach from Joe Paterno the man? These are always hard conversations when determining the legacy of great sports figures.
On the field, no other head coach in the history of the NCAA had more victories in Division I. Paterno was going to go to law school after his career as a football player ended, but he was convinced to become an assistant at Penn State all the way back in 1950. It took him 16 years to take over for Rip Engle, but once he did it was off to the races.
Just three years into Paterno’s tenure, he had an undefeated season. Then he had another one the very next season. It didn’t lead to a national championship, somehow. He had to wait until 1982, when he beat the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl to get his first national championship. He followed it up with another in 1986, when the Nittany Lions defeated Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. Paterno would eventually lead Penn State into the Big Ten, and he won the conference championship three times.
Say what you will about the legacy of Paterno, it is smudged forever. No matter the lawsuits or the begging from his family to restore his accomplishments, his name is always going to be tied to the terrible acts on children that happened under his watch by a man he hired. His accomplishments on the field were great, and his staying power and commitment to the program were admirable, but it’s just impossible to talk about Paterno without mentioning Jerry Sandusky.