19 Action News|Cleveland, OH|Breaking News, Weather, ExclusivesPlayers, colleagues remember Paterno's 46-year legacy

Players, colleagues remember Paterno's 46-year legacy

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By Theresa Seiger - email
The life of legendary college football coach Joe Paterno was celebrated at a memorial held on Penn State campus Thursday. (Source: CNN) The life of legendary college football coach Joe Paterno was celebrated at a memorial held on Penn State campus Thursday. (Source: CNN)
The Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State's basketball arena, was filled with well-wishers and mourners for his memorial. (Source: CNN) The Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State's basketball arena, was filled with well-wishers and mourners for his memorial. (Source: CNN)
Joe Paterno, who earned the title of the winningest coach in Division I college football, died Sunday. (Source: psu.edu) Joe Paterno, who earned the title of the winningest coach in Division I college football, died Sunday. (Source: psu.edu)

STATE COLLEGE, PA (RNN) - Mourners gathered to celebrate the life of college football legend Joe Paterno Thursday, four days after the most winningest coach in Division I football history succumbed to lung cancer.

"Joe's impact propelled all of us to succeed," said Joe Paterno's son, Jay Paterno.

Punctuated by broken sentences and throat clearing, former players and colleagues reminisced on their time with Joe Paterno and highlighted the breadth of his legacy.

"I've tried to explain what we've become," said Jimmy Cefalo, a sportscaster and former wide receiver for the Penn State Lions in the 1970s. "We did it in large measure because of Joe's example."

Many players mentioned Joe's dedication to their education. A clip from an earlier interview with the coach played during the ceremony, where he described himself as "a teacher who has an obligation to his students."

"He promised my mother [during recruiting] 'Kenny will go to class,'" said former NFL wide receiver and Penn State grad Kenny Jackson. "Second, 'Kenny will get a quality education.'"

Charlie Pittman, former NFL player and one of the first black recruits to touch ground at Beaver Stadium in the 1960s, shared stories of Joe's life with the crowd and marveled at his ability to stay graceful even in the controversy that surrounded the last month of his career.

"The life that I live is one of the thousands of gifts that Joe gave to the world," he said.

Joe was fired from his position as head coach in November 2011 in the wake of the sexual abuse case against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

A graduate assistant coach told a grand jury that Joe Paterno had known about at least one alleged incident of Sandusky abusing players. The storied coach was heavily criticized for reporting the incident to his supervisor but failing to bring the allegations any higher.

Phil Knight, chairman of Nike, was the only speaker to address the criticism directly after describing Joe as his "hero."

"If there is a villain in this tragedy, it lies in that investigation [into those allegations carried out by the athletic department], not in Joe Paterno's response to it," he said. "He set a standard that will live forever."

Most seats at the memorial, held at the home of Penn State's basketball team, the Bryce Jordan Center, were filled by mourners and well-wishers.

Paterno lost his battle with lung cancer Jan. 22, nine days after he was hospitalized due to health complications caused by the cancer.

He won the title of "most winningest coach" in Division I football after winning more games than any other coach in his 46-year career at Penn State. He was laid to rest Wednesday at Pennsylvania's Pine Hall Cemetery.

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