[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 149 (Thursday, November 1, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11309-S11310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING COACH JOE PATERNO

  Mr. SANTORUM. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate turn to the 
consideration of S. Res. 175, which is at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 175) honoring Penn State football 
     coach Joe Paterno.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, it is an honor and a pleasure for me and 
Senator Specter, who is cosponsor of the resolution, to be here today 
to pay tribute to a great American, a great Pennsylvanian--although he 
was born in New York, we consider him a great Pennsylvanian--Coach Joe 
Paterno.
  This past weekend--and I see my colleague from Ohio here, so I 
mention Penn State defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes on October 27--he 
becomes the ``winningest'' coach in Division 1-A history, surpassing 
Paul ``Bear'' Bryant.
  I recognize and celebrate that great accomplishment of Coach Paterno, 
but the bottom line is, of all the things he has accomplished at Penn 
State, this is one of his lesser accomplishments. This is a man who has 
added so much to that university, to our Commonwealth, to the country, 
and to sports in general, a man of great integrity.
  When you think of Joe Paterno, words that come to my mind first and 
foremost are integrity and character. This is a man who really tries to 
hold athletics and everything he does to the highest level of 
integrity. He teaches that to his children--yes, to his children, and 
to his kids who are on the team, but he also teaches it to the whole 
university community and to us as a nation through his example.
  He is a man of incredible character. He said: Success without honor 
is an unseasoned dish. It will satisfy your hunger, but it won't taste 
good.
  This is a man who understands that there is more to life than just 
winning. He has won more than anybody, but he understands there is a 
much bigger picture, and if you talk to the kids who have graduated 
from his program--by the way, he has one of the highest graduation 
rates of any football program in the NCAA, almost double the average 
for the NCAA--this is a man who understands football is not just about 
winning but about building character, building a better foundation for 
our country through these kids and the people who touch the program.
  Finally, I must discuss his humility. Those in public life, in the 
eye of the media all the time, understand when you are the 
``winningest'' coach in college football history, it is easy to be full 
of yourself, but this man understands that humility is the key to 
success. It is an important virtue that we have far too little of in 
this country.
  I quote again from Joe Paterno: Publicity is like poison; it doesn't 
hurt unless you swallow it.
  Joe Paterno has never swallowed the poison of media attention, trying 
to push him up. He understands his greatness is in his humility, his 
simplicity, and his integrity in doing the little things well every 
day.
  As a Penn State alumnus, I congratulate him. I congratulate Joe's 
wife, Sue, a great partner in Joe's career. I thank him for what he has 
done for the university, not just on the football field. They have done 
a tremendous amount of charitable giving and leadership for the 
university.
  I thank him and recognize him. As a Senator from Pennsylvania, he is 
someone I am very proud to call one of our own.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. SPECTER. I join my colleague, Senator Santorum, in offering 
praise to Coach Joe Paterno for establishing a new record for being the 
``winningest'' coach in football class 1-A schools.
  It was a tough first four games of the season this year when Penn 
State was defeated four times. Then his team came back in spectacular 
fashion to beat Northwestern 2 weeks ago and last Saturday to beat Ohio 
State to establish the new record.
  In the short time we have, I will share a vignette or two. Coach 
Paterno tells a story of his undergraduate days at Brown when he was a 
member of a fraternity which did not have any Jewish members. A young 
Jewish student sought to enter the fraternity. They passed the cup 
around and it turned out to have a blackball. Sometime later, the 
student made a second application and they passed the cup around again 
and it turned out to have a blackball. Then he made a third try, and 
again there was a blackball.
  At this point Joe Paterno, a student in the fraternity, jumped up and 
said: I have to admit, that was my blackball; I withdraw the blackball. 
Of course, it wasn't his blackball. But the blackballer didn't have the 
courage to stand up and acknowledge it as his blackball. That young 
Jewish student gained admission to the fraternity.
  One other short story. I am not sure how appropriate this is, but I 
will take a chance. I was campaigning for reelection. I am not sure if 
it was 1986 or 1992. Joe Paterno happened to come by. The newsman said: 
Coach, are you supporting Senator Specter for reelection?
  And Joe Paterno has a marvelous way of putting his foot down, pawing 
the ground, and looking down. He said:

       Well, if I had a running back in, and he was making yardage 
     and he wasn't tired, I'd leave him in. I think I'd leave 
     Arlen Specter in.

  I have had a few endorsements in my day, but that is the most 
memorable one I have had.
  Coach Paterno visited this Chamber with, I believe, the 1983 Penn 
State team. They filled the visitor's gallery. I made a reference to 
them, pointing out that the team was in the balcony, and I was later 
corrected by Senator Byrd who pointed out that I violated the Senate 
rules in pointing to that great national championship team.
  I point to them again today. I don't think Senator Byrd will admonish 
me because they are not in the balcony today, but there were great 
teams with Coach Paterno, going down in history as No. 1 in so many 
respects.
  I thank the Chair, and I thank Senator from Louisiana for yielding me 
this time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the Senate resolution 
submitted earlier by the Senator from Pennsylvania, S. Res. 175, and 
the preamble are agreed to.
  The resolution (S. Res. 175), with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 175

       Whereas Joe Paterno has served Penn State University as a 
     coach for 52 years, a tenure spanning the administrations of 
     11 United States Presidents;
       Whereas Joe Paterno has served as Penn State's 14th head 
     coach for nearly 36 years, since February 19, 1966;
       Whereas Joe Paterno has been on the coaching staff for more 
     than half of the football games played by the Nittany Lions 
     since the program began in 1887;
       Whereas Joe Paterno always has placed a very strong 
     emphasis on academic achievement and character building, as 
     evidenced by the selection of 21 first-team Academic All-
     Americans, 14 Hall of Fame Scholar-Athletes, and 17 NCAA 
     postgraduate scholarship winners so far during his tenure;
       Whereas Joe Paterno's most recent NCAA 4-year player 
     graduation rate of 76 percent

[[Page S11310]]

     far exceeds the NCAA-wide average of 48 percent for the same 
     period;
       Whereas Joe Paterno and his wife, Sue, have personally 
     donated over $4,000,000 to Penn State's student library and 
     academic programs;
       Whereas Joe Paterno has led Penn State teams to 5 
     undefeated seasons;
       Whereas Joe Paterno has led Penn State teams to 20 bowl 
     game victories in his career as head coach, more than any 
     other coach in college football history;
       Whereas Joe Paterno was the first college football coach to 
     win all of the 4 major New Year's Day bowl games: the Rose, 
     Sugar, Cotton, and Orange Bowls;
       Whereas Joe Paterno led 2 teams to National Championship 
     titles, in 1982 and 1986;
       Whereas Joe Paterno's coaching efforts have yielded over 
     250 National Football League players;
       Whereas Joe Paterno has been chosen an unprecedented 4 
     times as American Football Coaches Association Coach of the 
     Year; and
       Whereas Joe Paterno, on October 27, 2001, broke the 
     longstanding record for NCAA Division I-A victories, reaching 
     the 324-victory mark, by leading his team to a 29-27 win over 
     Ohio State: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,

     SECTION 1. CONGRATULATION AND COMMENDATION.

       The Senate recognizes and honors Joe Paterno--
       (1) for his lifetime emphasis on academic achievement;
       (2) for his constant integrity, professionalism, and strong 
     focus on character building for amateur athletes;
       (3) for the example he sets through philanthropic support 
     for academic programs; and
       (4) for becoming the first NCAA Division I-A football coach 
     to achieve 324 career victories, on October 27, 2001.

     SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL OF RESOLUTION.

       The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit an enrolled copy 
     of this resolution to--
       (1) Penn State Football Head Coach Joe Paterno; and
       (2) Penn State University President Graham Spanier.

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