Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno was an American college football coach and player who also worked as a writer, including in children's writing.
Born on December 21, 1926, Paterno was a citizen of the United States who pursued athletics both as a player and, later, as a coach at the college level. Beyond football, he also played basketball at some point in his athletic career.
In addition to his work in sports, Paterno took up writing, producing work in both general and children's categories. He received the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year award, a recognition tied to his career in college football. He died on January 22, 2012, and his body of work as a coach, player, and writer spanned several decades. The combination of football and children's writing remained two of the more distinct threads running through his public life.
Quotes by Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno's insights on:
What is a coach? We are teachers. Educators. We have the same obligations as all teachers, except we probably have more influence over young people than anybody but their families. And, in a lot of cases, more than their families.
To teach an academic subject is certainly not easy, but compared to coaching, it is. We can say 'two plus two is four' to every kid and be sure that we are right. But in coaching, we have to literally get to the soul of the people we are dealing with.
I had a great bunch of kids. They all hung with us. The coaching staff hung with us. And we played tough every game. If you’ve got kids that want to play and react to you, it’s fun. I’m having a good time.
Right now I’m trying to figure out what I’m gonna do, ’cause I don’t want to sit around on my backside all day. If I’m gonna do that I’ll be a newspaper reporter.
My father said about money: ‘You have to have some. But you don’t have to have all of it. Just be honest with yourself.’
We play with enthusiasm and recklessness. We aren’t afraid to lose. If we win, great; but win or lose, it is the competition that gives us pleasure.
