Through my eyes: A legend is remembered as Joe Paterno is laid to rest

After the private burial ceremonies by the family of Penn State legend, Joe Paterno, were held, the gym at Penn State was filled to capacity by the thousands of men and women who wanted to pay their last respects to a man most of them had admired all of their lives. Here was a man who had been at Penn State for his entire professional career, and 46 years as their head football coach. Only with such longevity could such an outstanding display of love for one man be earned.

Earn it he did, with the obvious rewards we all know about -two national championships, a zillion games being won for the school, many, many players sent on to the NFL and the name of Penn State being synonymous with big time college football. Many of his former players spoke of their coach as well as dignitaries from business, academia and government. They all, to a man and woman, told stories that you would never read on the sports pages, because they are not tales of great athletic feats or game plans, but stories of a man with a genuine love for his family, his players, his country and for the university he cherished. One such story involved Penn State Heisman Trophy winner named John Cappaletti.

Now put that on hold for a second. One of the speakers, a former wide receiver for Penn State, said he was recruited by many schools and had finally made up his mind which college to choose. He was coming home from that recruiting trip and was eager to tell his parents about his decision. Upon arriving at his house, he noticed only one light on, and that was in the kitchen. He walked into the room, and there sat Joe Paterno at the table with his father, pouring him a glass of homemade wine, while his mother dished up her wonderful pasta. The coach pretty much ignored him and said to his mother, "Your pasta is even better than Mrs. Cappaletti's." It was this player's contention that he was not recruited by Paterno, nor was Cappaletti. Paterno had recruited their mothers instead. That was the plan by a coach who had a deep love for people and the knowledge that to win over a recruit was to convince the parents that their son would be going to a school where he would not be just a number on a uniform, but to a place where the best interest of their son would be foremost. Story after story was told by the speakers. The "student athlete" had great meaning for Paterno. This same wide receiver told of the time when, after his last football season was over, he had already finished all of his graduation requirements, and he wanted to have some fun, so he signed up for some classes that required no study time at all. Remember his football eligibility was over. He was called into Coach Paterno's office, and there sat the coach with his class schedule. "What do you think you are doing," shouted Paterno. "This schedule is beneath you!" As you might have guessed, his schedule was adjusted.

We are all saddened by the child molestation scandal that was brought on by former coach Sandusky. As you know, his trial is pending. You also know that Paterno was fired over the phone, as a major part of the administration's quick reaction to show their outrage, and it was painted as if Paterno had all of the horrible facts and had told no one. I will never believe that this proven great coach and man had knowledge of the extent of the depravity brought about by Sandusky.

I think Phil Knight, president of Nike, said it best, when he stated, "If there is a villain in this story, it is in the investigation and not in Paterno's reaction to it!"

Georgia Tech, had a great coach in Bobby Dodd, revered by all. He was asked one day if he had a son who was a football player, who would he want him to play for. His quick answer was Joe Paterno.

The official cause of death for Coach Paterno was cancer. I say he died of a broken heart. Rest in peace Coach Jo Pa!