Penn State is quietly trying to get field named after Joe Paterno
Penn State trustees and officials reportedly met twice in private in January to discuss whether to name the field at Beaver Stadium after late head coach Joe Paterno.
nypost.com
By Max Weisman
Penn State trustees and high-ranking university representatives reportedly met twice in private in January to discuss whether to name the field at Beaver Stadium after late head coach Joe Paterno.
According to Spotlight PA sources, the trustees are pushing hard to name the field after Paterno, who was fired by the school in 2011 after the result of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal.
The longtime coach died in 2012 at the age of 85.
A statute of the coach outside Beaver Stadium was also removed in the wake of the impropriety coming to light, which saw Sandusky, the former assistant coach, sentenced up to 60 years in prison on 45 counts of of child sex abuse.
Former university President Graham Spanier, former athletic director Tim Curley, and former vice president Gary Schultz also served jail time over the scandal.
University officials are reportedly hesitant to name the field after Paterno, who had over 100 wins vacated and later restored.
The meetings may violate Pennsylvania state law that requires government bodies to conduct business in public view, per Spotlight PA.
“The Administration and the Board of Trustees have embarked on numerous change initiatives based on President [Neeli] Bendapudi’s vision and goals and are focused on these priorities to continue to provide a world-class academic and student experience for years to come,” a university spokesperson told the outlet.
The statue of Paterno was taken down in 2012.
AP
Paterno was Penn State’s head football coach for 45 years, winning two national championships (1982, 1986) and three Big Ten titles (1994, 2005, 2009).
His 409 victories are the most all-time by an NCAA football coach.
Before his head coaching tenure, Paterno spent 15 years with the Nittany Lions as an assistant. His 62 years with one program is the most anyone has spent with a single program.
