RIP, Joe Paterno



latimes.com

Joe Paterno dies at 85; transformed Penn State into football power

The Ivy League-educated coach's career ended mired in scandal less than two weeks after he recorded his 409th career victory, a major-college football record.

Chris Dufresne
7:58 AM PST, January 22, 2012

Joe Paterno, the Ivy League-educated coach who transformed sleepy Penn State University into a national football power with an academics-based philosophy only to see his career end abruptly and his legacy tarnished by a child sex abuse scandal involving a former assistant coach, has died. He was 85.

Paterno died Sunday morning in State College, Pa., his family announced.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer in November, only days after Penn State's board of trustees fired the legendary coach in the wake of the arrest of his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, on multiple felony counts of sexual abuse of boys.


Paterno was not implicated in a grand jury's indictment of Sandusky but was criticized for not acting more aggressively in 2002 after a graduate assistant informed Paterno he saw Sandusky sexually molest a boy in a locker room shower at Penn State. Paterno had fulfilled his legal obligation by passing the information on to his superior, athletic director Tim Curley.

Paterno's inglorious exit shocked a community that watched him rise from a young assistant to become a national icon. His Coke-bottle eyeglasses and rolled-up pant legs came to embody the school's victories-with-virtue persona.

The coach was so beloved in State College that full-size cardboard cutouts of him were common sights around town. Even an ice cream flavor, "Peachy Paterno," was named after him.

In college football's fraternity, he was known simply as "JoePa."

But on Nov. 10, 2011, five days after the scandal broke, the Penn State trustees fired Paterno three games short of completing his 46th season as head coach.

The board of trustees denied Paterno's request to retire at the end of the 2011 season. Only days after he issued a tempered response to the initial Sandusky allegations, Paterno expressed heartfelt remorse over what had happened on his watch.

"I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case," Paterno said in a statement released hours before he was fired. "I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief."

He vowed to "spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this university."

For more than six decades, Paterno had coached at Penn State after joining Rip Engle's staff in 1950 as a 23-year-old assistant. His career ended late last year less than two weeks after he recorded his 409th career victory, which moved him past former Grambling Coach Eddie Robinson on major college football's all-time list.

Paterno spent his entire career at Penn State, taking over as head coach in 1966. He was a five-time national coach of the year, won two national titles, fielded five unbeaten teams and was the first major college coach to eclipse Bear Bryant's victory record of 323.

Paterno ended his career as the all-time leader in bowl appearances (37) and bowl victories (24) and in 2006 was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He is the only coach to have won all four of college football's major bowls: Rose, Fiesta, Orange and Sugar.

Voted into the same Hall of Fame class, Paterno and Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden spent years jostling for the all-time major college win record.

"Joe has done everything right," Bowden said in a 1998 interview. "He graduates his players, he's articulate and his character is impeccable, in my opinion."

During Paterno's tenure, Penn State produced 79 first-team All-America players, 33 first-round NFL draft picks and 16 National Football Foundation scholar-athletes.

The list of those who played for Paterno includes Jack Ham, John Cappelletti, Franco Harris, Lydell Mitchell, Curt Warner, Shane Conlin, Matt Millen, Todd Blackledge, Kyle Brady, LaVar Arrington, Larry Johnson, Courtney Brown and Kerry Collins.

Paterno's teams were known for their toughness and selflessness. The school's blue-and-white uniforms were famously nondescript — lacking player names, decorations or logos — a Brand X quality that came to symbolize the program's team-first image.

An English literature major at Brown University in Rhode Island, Paterno was a voracious reader whose favorite sayings included Robert Browning's "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?"

Paterno was a demanding and relentless coach, a meticulous note-taker and a stickler for detail.

For years, he devised the game plans and called plays for the offense and defense.

His brother, George, once told Sports Illustrated: "Joe's the most intensely competitive man I've ever known."

Penn State was a virtual autocracy under Paterno, who ruled without much resistance in a remote college town miles removed from the big-city media glare. His practices were closed and so, mostly, were his lips.

Ron Bracken of the Centre Daily Times, based in State College, once described Paterno as "cranky, tyrannical, dictatorial, blunt, scathing, charming, beguiling, entertaining and witty, all in the span of 30 minutes."

Playing football for Paterno wasn't always easy, and sometimes it took years for players to appreciate his motives and tactics. He did not forge close relationships.

Cappelletti, a running back who won the Heisman Trophy in 1973, told The Times in 1998, "I was co-captain, but I never remember approaching Joe one time to have a conversation with him."

Ham, the great Penn State linebacker and Pittsburgh Steelers star, once said, "All of us disliked Paterno. It made us closer. He was very cold to his players."

Years later, however, Ham chose Paterno to be his presenter at his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Ted Kwalick, a former Penn State tight end, once remarked, "The older I get, the smarter Joe Paterno is."

Paterno used his celebrity, income and pulpit as football coach to help enhance the university's reputation. He and his wife, Sue, who met when Paterno was a Penn State assistant and she was a student, donated more than $4 million to numerous Penn State projects.

"I do want to make an impact," he told The Times in 1998. "I'd hate to walk away from this after 50 years or so and look back and say, 'He had a couple good football teams.' I'd hope that apart from having some good football teams here, some people have benefited by being in the program, and were better people for having been a part of it."

Joseph Vincent Paterno, the son of second-generation Italian immigrants, was born Dec. 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Angelo, his father, and his mother, Florence, expected big things from the oldest of their four children. His father was a court clerk who earned his law degree at age 40.

"If we had a classroom spelling bee, I was expected to win it," Paterno said in the 1998 biography "No Ordinary Joe."

At Brooklyn Prep, Paterno was a scrappy, skinny and savvy quarterback and an inquisitive student. Summoned for military service after high school, he was training in New Jersey when World War II ended. After his 1946 discharge, he enrolled at Brown.

He played football and basketball in college and embraced academics, calling Brown an "intellectual feast." He was an accomplished defensive back — he still holds the Brown interception record with 14 — and a good enough quarterback to lead his team to an 8-1 record as a senior.

Rip Engle, Brown's coach, left the Ivy League program in 1950 to become coach at the Penn State powerhouse. He asked a young Paterno to join his staff.

Paterno postponed law school at Boston University to give coaching a try. He initially hated State College and told Engle he wouldn't return for a second season. "I'm going to go nuts in this hick town!" Paterno proclaimed.

Paterno advanced quickly on Engle's staff — "a brazen young man," one assistant said of him — taking on more and more responsibility. He used an offer from Yale in the early 1960s to leverage assurance he would succeed Engle. When Engle retired in 1965, Paterno got his Penn State job. He was 38.

He staggered into head coaching in 1966 by losing three of his first five games. His first team finished 5-5, and he opened the 1967 season with a loss to Navy.

"I wondered whether I really had it," he said of his abilities.

After a loss to UCLA on Oct. 7, 1967, Penn State went 31 straight games without a defeat.

It was during this time that Paterno went public with his "Grand Experiment" idea that emphasized academics.

"Everyone assumes if you have a great football team, there have been some sacrifices made in the area of standards," he told the Philadelphia Daily News.

Some would view the notion as holier than thou. Yet while Penn State had its share of off-the-field problems, the school never incurred major NCAA violations on Paterno's watch.

Earning football respect, though, was a battle Paterno waged for years.

His teams in 1968 and 1969 went 11-0 but finished second both seasons in the Associated Press poll.

Penn State, which played as an independent until 1993, was penalized by pollsters for facing inferior competition.

Paterno was a strong playoff proponent, and his frustration may have influenced him in 1972 to consider a $1.4-million offer to coach the NFL's New England Patriots. He accepted in principle before changing his mind.

He would remark at a 1973 commencement address, "Money alone will not make you happy. Success without honor is an unseasoned dish."

Paterno's frustration continued in 1973 when his 12-0 team ended up fifth in both major polls, the Associated Press and UPI. He bought his players championship rings and continued to press for a playoff.

His quest for a national title was finally realized in the 1982 season when a Penn State win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl pushed the Nittany Lions to No. 1. Paterno claimed his second national title four years later after a hyped win over Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

In 1993, after more than 100 years as an independent, Penn State became the 11th member of the Big Ten Conference.

In 1994, Penn State capped a 12-0 season with a Rose Bowl win over Oregon, but the Nittany Lions ended up No. 2 behind Nebraska in both the Associated Press and USA Today/CNN polls.

Competing in the Big Ten would become increasingly difficult.

Penn State endured four losing seasons in a five-year span beginning in 2000, prompting calls by some for Paterno to retire. There were websites devoted to his departure, but Paterno vowed to coach as long as his health allowed.

Paterno exacted revenge on detractors when his 2005 team finished 11-1 and defeated Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

His survivors include his wife, whom he married in 1962, and children Diana, Mary, David, Jay and Scott — all Penn State graduates — and 17 grandchildren.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com

The Day the LOLCats Died...

Posted at 09:02 AM ET, 01/18/2012

SOPA/PIPA blackout: ‘The Day the LOLcats Died’

SOPA blackout day is a dark day — literally. With a black bar across Google’s logo and other sites turning their robust user-driven sites into a single black page. One team, though, avoided donning black, and chose instead to sing out its angst with this viral video “The Day the LolCats Died.”
They can take our lives, but they can’t take our LOLcats! That’s the message from Seattle Against SOPA, which sings the potential effects of SOPA set to the tune of Don McLean’s “American Pie.”
Seattle Against SOPA isn’t the first to spread awareness of the bill through song. Last month, Leah Kaufman (who created “I Got a Crush on Obama”) and British rapper Dan Bull wrote songs about SOPA, firewalls, and Internet freedom. Watch here.

SOPA and PIPA...

Readers weigh in on SOPA, PIPA


By Brett Molina, USA TODAY
Updated 21m ago
Getty Images
Judging from the responses of readers and through social networks such as Twitter, reactions to the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act seem stacked firmly against the two pieces of proposed legislation.On Twitter, several trending topics tied to SOPA and PIPA have dominated, including End Piracy, Tell Congress and #DayWithoutWikipedia, which highlights the 24-hour blackout of website Wikipedia in protest to both anti-piracy bills.

USA TODAY readers have weighed in as well, voicing their opinions on SOPA and PIPA. Here are a few reader comments:
Allan Ranusch: "Wealthy corporations and unlimited contributions trumps freedom of speech."
D.j. Allyn: "Once again, Congress is trying to fix something that isn't broke, instead of dealing with what they SHOULD be dealing with."
@dodgr007: Old Spanish proverb: "Sopa isn't soap, ropa isn't rope & butter is mantiquilla" & censorship is fascism.
Chris Parker: "This bill is god awful. There's no reasonable "other side" to the argument. Yes piracy is an issue and has been for longer than the internet has been around. It's not the supposed intent of this bill that's the issue, it's the scope and methods with which they plan to enforce it. Government should not censor the internet by legally being able to pursue ISP companies like Time Warner to block traffic, period."
Gregg Lebovitz: "These bills do not solve any problems, weaken our position as a technology leader, and are driven by some an entertainment business who is failing their customers and trying to use the courts to increase profits. We are fed up with you."
Dave Smith: "Yep, when republicans and democrats came to the table, we got the Patriot Act. Why do we even question their abilities to protect the constitution? And, the bill allows the government to go after all ISPs, not just sites selling pirated materials. Where is George Orwell?"

ISML 2012: Nomination Period Results


The Nomination Period lasted from 1 January to 8 January. Over 5000 valid ballots were received.
The following characters advance to the Preliminary Round.

Nova Division

No.NameSeriesBallots
1Akemi HomuraPuella Magi Madoka ☆ Magica923
2Kashiwazaki SenaBoku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai858
3Yuzuriha InoriGuilty Crown813
4Hasegawa KobatoBoku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai790
5Kanzaki H. AriaHidan no Aria776
6Makise KurisuSteins;Gate754
7Gasai YunoMirai Nikki687
8Honma MeikoAnoHana601
9Fear KubrickC³ - Cube x Cursed x Curious592
10Kaname MadokaPuella Magi Madoka ☆ Magica580
11Mikazuki YozoraBoku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai558
12Sakura KyōkoPuella Magi Madoka ☆ Magica553
13Tōwa ErioDenpa Onna to Seishun Otoko547
14Tomoe MamiPuella Magi Madoka ☆ Magica458
15Ika-MusumeShinryaku! Ika-Musume403
16Shionji Yūko (Alice)Kami-sama no Memochō385
17Konoe SubaruMayo Chiki!379
18Matsumae OhanaHanasaku Iroha348
19Shiina MayuriSteins;Gate348
20Minato TomokaRo-Kyu-Bu!343
21Elucia de Lute IrmaKami nomi zo Shiru Sekai328
22Irisviel von EinzbernFate/Zero301
23Hoshii MikiTHE iDOLM@STER285
24Toshinō KyōkoYuruYuri284
25Haqua du Lot HerminiumKami nomi zo Shiru Sekai282
26Mine RikoHidan no Aria272
27Shiomiya ShioriKami nomi zo Shiru Sekai270
28Yarizui SenBen-Tō269
29Kirishima ShōkoBaka to Test to Shōkanjū262
30Miki SayakaPuella Magi Madoka ☆ Magica255
31Taneshima PoplarWORKING!!244
32Ayuzawa MisakiKaichō wa Maid-sama!231
33Himeji MizukiBaka to Test to Shōkanjū229
34Kasugano SoraYosuga no Sora229
35Suzutsuki KanadeMayo Chiki!225
36Hotogi ShirayukiHidan no Aria224
37RekiHidan no Aria223
38Shimada MinamiBaka to Test to Shōkanjū220
39Oikawa TsuraraNurarihyon no Mago211
40YuneIkoku Meiro no Croisée210
41Shinomiya AyaseGuilty Crown199
42Shinonono HōkiIS 199
No.NameSeriesBallots
43Nakagawa KanonKami nomi zo Shiru Sekai195
44Akaza AkariYuruYuri195
45DalianDantalian no Shoka194
46Ueno KirikaC³ - Cube x Cursed x Curious193
47Amaha MiuMashiro-iro Symphony190
48Sena AiriMashiro-iro Symphony189
49Hakamada HinataRo-Kyu-Bu!187
50Kaga RinUsagi Drop182
51Yamada AoiWORKING!!178
52Horizon Ariadust (P-01s)Kyōkai Senjō no Horizon168
53Anjō NarukoAnoHana165
54Astarotte YgvarAstarotte no Omocha!162
55Kisaragi ChihayaTHE iDOLM@STER162
56Takahara AyumiKami nomi zo Shiru Sekai157
57Tsurugi MinkoHanasaku Iroha153
58Kunieda AoiBeelzebub150
59Shinonome NanoNichijō148
60Inui SanaMashiro-iro Symphony145
61Takakura HimariMawaru-Penguindrum136
62TsugumiGuilty Crown135
63Ayase ChihayaChihayafuru133
64Inami MahiruWORKING!!133
65Morishima HarukaAmagami SS127
66Wendy MarvellFAIRY TAIL127
67Shinonome HakaseNichijō126
68Oshimizu NakoHanasaku Iroha125
69Amami HarukaTHE iDOLM@STER125
70Uryū MineneMirai Nikki124
71Laura BodewigIS 121
72Nanasaki AiAmagami SS115
AutoTachibana KanadeAngel Beats!-
AutoGokō Ruri KuronekoOre no Imōto-
AutoEucliwood HellscytheKore wa Zombie Desu ka?-
AutoYuiAngel Beats!-
AutoNakamura YuriAngel Beats!-
AutoCharlotte DunoisIS -
AutoVictorique de BloisGOSICK-
AutoKōsaka KirinoOre no Imōto-
AutoKuroi MatoBlack★Rock Shooter-
AutoAragaki AyaseOre no Imōto-
AutoHarunaKore wa Zombie Desu ka?-
AutoIwasawa AsamiAngel Beats!-

Stella Division

No.NameSeriesBallots
1Louise VallièreZero no Tsukaima489
2Sanzen'in NagiHayate no Gotoku!487
3Tōsaka RinFate/stay night443
4C.C.Code Geass390
5Furukawa NagisaCLANNAD370
6Sakagami TomoyoCLANNAD362
7Fujibayashi KyōCLANNAD359
8HoloSpice and Wolf317
9Shirai KurokoToaru Majutsu no Index316
10Kotobuki TsumugiK-ON!313
11Izumi KonataLucky ☆ Star284
12Erza ScarletFAIRY TAIL282
13Index Librorum ProhibitorumToaru Majutsu no Index277
14Saten RuikoToaru Majutsu no Index267
15Fate TestarossaMahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha266
16Hiiragi KagamiLucky ☆ Star256
17Tainaka RitsuK-ON!253
18Illyasviel von EinzbernFate/stay night251
19NymphSora no Otoshimono236
20Lucy HeartfiliaFAIRY TAIL221
21IkarosSora no Otoshimono218
22Ichinose KotomiCLANNAD209
23Last OrderToaru Majutsu no Index201
24KaguraGintama180
25Asahina MikuruSuzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu177
26Hirasawa UiK-ON!173
27Takamachi NanohaMahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha173
28Ibuki FūkoCLANNAD163
29Furude RikaHigurashi no Naku Koro ni163
30Konjiki no YamiTo LOVE-Ru161
31Kinomoto SakuraCardcaptor Sakura157
32Kuronuma SawakoKimi ni Todoke157
33AlicePandora Hearts139
34Oshino ShinobuBakemonogatari136
35Shiina MafuyuSeitokai no Ichizon136
36HecateShakugan no Shana132
37SuigintōRozen Maiden130
38Kushieda MinoriToradora!130
39Kamio MisuzuAIR126
40Haibara AiDetective Conan124
41SuiseisekiRozen Maiden124
42Ryūgū RenaHigurashi no Naku Koro ni115
No.NameSeriesBallots
43Kawashima AmiToradora!113
44Ryōgi ShikiKara no Kyōkai111
45ShinkuRozen Maiden109
46Chrome DokuroKatekyō Hitman Reborn!107
47Enma AiJigoku Shōjo106
48Sōryū Asuka LangleyNeon Genesis Evangelion106
49Ayanami ReiNeon Genesis Evangelion103
50Kawasumi MaiKanon101
51Hanato KobatoKobato.100
52YinDARKER THAN BLACK99
53Uiharu KazariToaru Majutsu no Index94
54Kuchiki RukiaBLEACH92
55Hiiragi TsukasaLucky ☆ Star92
56MariaHayate no Gotoku!88
57Hinamori AmuShugo Chara!88
58Okazaki UshioCLANNAD84
59Hoshina UtauShugo Chara!77
60Yūki MikanTo LOVE-Ru71
61Hyūga HinataNARUTO69
62Hanekawa TsubasaBakemonogatari68
63Kanzaki KaoriToaru Majutsu no Index67
64Sakurano KurimuSeitokai no Ichizon66
65Kotegawa YuiTo LOVE-Ru65
66Lala Satalin DevilukeTo LOVE-Ru65
67Tsukimiya AyuKanon62
68Evangeline A.K. McDowellMahō Sensei Negima!62
69Kōzuki KallenCode Geass61
70Saginomiya IsumiHayate no Gotoku!60
71ChiiChobits59
72Isayama YomiGa-Rei: Zero59
AutoMisaka MikotoToaru Majutsu no Index-
AutoNagato YukiSuzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu-
AutoNakano AzusaK-ON!-
AutoShanaShakugan no Shana-
AutoAisaka TaigaToradora!-
AutoKatsura HinagikuHayate no Gotoku!-
AutoAkiyama MioK-ON!-
AutoSuzumiya HaruhiSuzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu-
AutoSenjōgahara HitagiBakemonogatari-
AutoSengoku NadekoBakemonogatari-
AutoHirasawa YuiK-ON!-
AutoSaberFate/stay night-