January 22, 2012
Multiple sources have confirmed that Joe Paterno, legendary coach of
the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, has passed due to complications
from cancer.
Paterno, who was diagnosed with cancer in November 2011 after a visit
to his doctor for a bronchial issue, succumbed to complications from the
disease while surrounded by his family at a local hospital. Mount Nittany Medical Center released a
statement confirming that Paterno had passed Sunday morning of “metastatic
small cell carcinoma of the lung”, a condition indicating that the illness had
spread from one part of the body to another unrelated area.
The family released a statement Sunday morning which announced his
death. "He died as he lived,"
the statement said. "He fought hard until the end, stayed positive,
thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life
had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to
leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family,
his university, his players and his community."
Paterno took over head coaching duties of the Lions in 1966, upon the
retirement of his predecessor, Rip Engle, and went on to become the most
successful college football coach, including a record 409 wins, as well as
appearances in 37 bowl games and two national championships through the course
of his tenure. Over 250 of his former
players went on to the NFL where they found success.
Paterno built a program focused not only on the football, but which also
stressed academic achievement for his players in the classroom, and preached “success
with honor” to his players. He
implemented what he referred to as his “grand experiment” in which graduating
players was as important as the wins achieved on the field. He was a frequent guest speaker at alumni
gatherings around Pennsylvania, and was a frequent speaker on the topic of
ethics in sports.
Paterno’s career and his legacy were tarnished by the events of the
Jerry Sandusky scandal that rocked the Penn State community during the latter
end of 2011, and he was fired on the evening of November 9, 2011 after stating
that he was “absolutely devastated” by the case that had also ended the careers
of two university administrators due to charges of perjury and failing to
report incidents of abuse of which they had been made aware. In a statement announcing that he would
retire at the end of the 2011 season, prior to being let go by the board of
trustees, Paterno said that the incident was, “one of the great sorrows of my
life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."
FACEBOOK POST
The entire Penn State community is mourning the passing of Joseph
Vincent Paterno, legendary head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football
team. Paterno succumbed to complications
from cancer the morning of January 22, 2012.
During tenure as head coach, Paterno led the Lions to more wins than any
other coach in major college football, but was relieved of his duties in the
wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal in late 2011.
Reference
ESPN.com. (2012, January 23).
Joe Paterno, 85, dies in state college. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7489238/joe-paterno-ex-penn-state-nittany-lions-coach-dies-85-2-month-cancer-fight
Hi Aimee-
ReplyDeleteI like how your posts focus more on Paterno's legacy and not as much on the unfortunate end of his career. Paterno had a lifetime of accomplishments, but he also had one very large controversy at the end of his life, so the journalists had to decide which area of his life would come into focus when they reported his death. I think it is still important to mention the child abuse scandal even in his death announcement because it still played a large role in his life. (Many people even reported that they believed Paterno ultimately died of a broken heart.)
Great post!
Ashley
I too chose to focus on the person and the legacy rather than the scandal he endured at the end of his life. I think it is the right thing to do, when a person like this, beloved of an entire community and a man who did so much good in his life, be remembered for all the great things and not for the one rotten thing at the very end. I didn't pay much attention when the actual event happened, but from the stories I was able to find written at the time of his death, I good majority of journalists did not focus on the scandal, but they did mention it. Overall, I thought this is a good release, however I would not have said "multiple sources have confirmed" in the lead. It doesn't sound reliable, that there is a possibility those sources could be wrong because they are not named and it is the very first thing that is said. My question as I read was what sources? how was it confirmed? Nothing of great concern, but just something to consider in future.
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