Below is the beginning excerpt of an article I wrote for World Magazine’s website reflecting on the challenge of viewing the life and legacy of Joe Paterno from a Christian perspective.
Conflicted. Complex. Complicated. Such are the feelings conjured up by Sunday’s death of legendary college football coach Joe Paterno at the age of 85.
During his 46-year tenure as head coach at Penn State, “Joe Pa” was known for his utter integrity in a sport full of scandals and cheaters. He earned his nickname by being a fatherly figure who cared more for his players than he did about winning. Penn State never committed any major NCAA violations. The school recruited legally and honestly. Players graduated. And the Nittany Lions did win games. Lots of them. At the end of his career Paterno was the winningest coach in NCAA Division I football history.
But it is the end of his career that so complicates matters.
. . .
The full article can be viewed HERE.
