[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 156 (Tuesday, November 13, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H8109-H8113]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PRAISING JOSEPH VINCENT PATERNO FOR HIS STEADFAST COMMITMENT TO
ACADEMICS, SERVICE, AND CITIZENSHIP, AND CONGRATULATING HIM FOR HIS
MANY COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 276) praising Joseph Vincent Paterno for his
steadfast commitment to academics, service, and citizenship, and
congratulating Joseph Vincent Paterno for his many coaching
accomplishments, including his 324th career coaching victory.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 276
Whereas Joseph Vincent Paterno coached the Penn State
Nittany Lions football team to a 29 to 27 victory over the
Ohio State Buckeyes on October 27, 2001, at Beaver Stadium in
Happy Valley with 108,327 patrons in attendance;
Whereas that victory was Joe Paterno's 324th career
coaching victory, making him the winningest Division I-A
football coach in NCAA history;
Whereas Joe Paterno launched what he termed ``The Great
Experiment'' on February 19, 1966, upon being named the head
football coach at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn
State);
Whereas Joe Paterno defined ``The Great Experiment'' as a
demonstration that Division I student-athletes can achieve
greatness on the field while excelling in the classroom, and
can become valuable assets to the community in their
postgraduate endeavors;
Whereas Joe Paterno has nurtured 21 first-team Academic
All-Americans, 14 Hall of Fame Scholar-Athletes, and 17 NCAA
postgraduate scholarship winners;
Whereas from 1996 to 2000 Joe Paterno nurtured 69 Academic
All-Big Ten football honorees, more than any other Big Ten
Conference institution during that period;
Whereas according to the 2000 NCAA Graduation Rate Report,
the 4-year graduation rate of Joe Paterno's Penn State
players was 76.5 percent, significantly above the 48 percent
national average;
Whereas Joe Paterno and his wife Sue have continually
demonstrated their loyalty and commitment to Penn State
through volunteer efforts and contributions, including a
$3,500,000 gift--the most generous gift ever given to a
university by a coach and his family--for academic
scholarships, faculty endowments, and campus construction
projects;
Whereas immediately following his first national
championship in January of 1983, Joe Paterno bypassed the
customary acceptance speech and instead pressed the
University's Board of Trustees to make Penn State number one
in academics as well as athletics and began advocating for
the libraries of Penn State;
Whereas Joe and Sue Paterno subsequently served as Co-
Chairs of the Campaign for the Library which raised
$11,000,000 for an expansion effort that would double the
size of the existing library at Penn State's University Park
campus;
Whereas the Paternos' generosity and vision were recognized
by the vote of Penn State's Board of Trustees to name the new
world-class library after the Paternos, and at the dedication
of the Paterno Library at Penn State's University Park campus
that occurred on September 8, 2000;
Whereas Joe Paterno has received countless awards for being
a role model and mentor for his players, a community leader,
and a humanitarian and philanthropist who exhibits and
promotes the time-honored values of selflessness, equality,
dignity, educational achievement, and community service;
Whereas Joe Paterno has accumulated all 324 of his coaching
wins at Penn State, where he is currently in his 52d season
as an assistant or head coach;
Whereas Joe Paterno has been on the coaching staff during
more than half of all the football games played at Penn State
since the football program began in 1887;
Whereas Joe Paterno's coaching career has spanned 11 United
States Presidential administrations;
Whereas Joe Paterno led Penn State to 2 national
championships, in 1982 and 1986;
Whereas Joe Paterno led Penn State to 5 perfect seasons, in
1968, 1969, 1973, 1986, and 1994;
Whereas Joe Paterno has won 20 bowl games at Penn State, an
NCAA record;
Whereas Joe Paterno is the only coach to have won all 4
traditional New Year's Day Bowl games--the Rose, Sugar,
Cotton, and Orange Bowls--as well as the Fiesta Bowl;
Whereas the American Football Coaches Association has named
Joe Paterno the Coach of the Year an unprecedented 4 times,
in 1968, 1978, 1982, and 1986;
Whereas Joe Paterno has coached 55 first-team All-
Americans;
Whereas Joe and Sue Paterno are blessed with 5 children and
9 grandchildren;
Whereas Joe Paterno's traditional game-day attire of coat
and tie, rolled pantleg cuffs, white socks, and black
football shoes is recognized in sporting circles across the
Nation;
Whereas Joe Paterno is affectionately known as ``JoePa'' to
his extended Penn State family and to the rest of the
football world; and
Whereas Joe Paterno received a touching retrospective from
his high school mentor at the Brooklyn Preparatory School,
the late Father Thomas Bermingham, who said: ``The Father
gave me the sense that I was being handed a treasure. Joe is
a treasure.'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
SECTION. 1. JOSEPH VINCENT PATERNO.
The House of Representatives--
(1) praises Joseph Vincent Paterno for his steadfast
commitment to academics, service, and citizenship;
(2) congratulates Joseph Vincent Paterno for his many
coaching accomplishments, including his 324th career coaching
victory; and
(3) thanks Joseph Vincent Paterno for his contributions to
college football, to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and to
the Nation.
SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL.
The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit a
copy of this resolution to Joseph Vincent Paterno and to the
President of the Pennsylvania State University.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Isakson) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).
[[Page H8110]]
General Leave
Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on H.Res. 276.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to stand in this House tonight and
commend the resolution to the gentleman from Pennsylvania, commending
Coach Joe Paterno, the coach of the Nittany Lions at Penn State
University, who, on October 27, in Happy Valley, Beaver Stadium, before
106,000 people, the Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Ohio State
Buckeyes by a score of 29 to 27. That victory, the 324th in the career
of Joe Paterno, established him as the winningest coach in the history
of NCAA Division I college football.
But for those who know Coach Paterno the best, this is but a small
part of his legacy that he has left to American athletics and American
academics. When Coach Paterno was hired in February of 1966 to become
the head coach of the Nittany Lions, he pronounced that he was going to
attempt what he called ``The Great Experiment.'' He believed it was
possible to establish excellence in university athletics and in
collegiate athletics while, at the same time, having academic
excellence and excellence in community service.
In the 35 years since his being hired as head coach of Penn State
University, he has done exactly that: two national championships; four
times Coach of the Year in the NCAA, unprecedented. A tremendous number
of All-Americans who were academic All-Americans; NCAA postgraduate
fellows, and the litany goes on and on. He, his wife, together, in one
event, contributed $3.5 million to Penn State University for academic
excellence and the pursuit of better academics for that great
university. He is steadfast in his promotion of and giving to the
library at Penn State University.
Coach Paterno's success on the athletic field as a coach is
unprecedented in our country. His example as a role model to all of
those that lead student athletes is equally unprecedented.
Coach Paterno was recruited at Brown University to be a quarterback,
one of the few colleges in America to recruit this gentleman. In one of
his great seasons at Brown University, he finished a record of eight
wins and one loss. Following their last victory in that season,
proclaiming his excellence, a sports writer wrote, ``Paterno is indeed
unusual. He can't pass. He can't run. He just thinks and wins.''
Coach Joe Paterno thought enough of America's youth and the power of
athletics to join in together with the power of academics and learning,
to produce the highest ratio of student athletes graduating from their
institution of any university in Division I in the NCAA. I am pleased,
Mr. Speaker, to be a part of this commendation today to Joseph Vincent
Paterno, the head coach of Penn State University, the winningest coach
in Division I NCAA history.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I, too, rise in support of H.Res. 276, praising Joseph Vincent
Paterno for his steadfast commitment to academics, service, and
citizenship, and congratulating Joe Vincent Paterno for his many
coaching accomplishments, including his 324th career coaching victory.
During this time of tribulation and trial and uncertainty and
terrorism, accidental plane crashes, it is a pleasure to be able to
stand up to praise a great American person that exemplifies what
America is all about, a man who stands for commitment, stands for the
mind, the body, and the spirit.
Joe Paterno is one of the greatest coaches of all times. As has been
indicated, he served for 16 years as an assistant coach with Penn State
University after playing at Brown and then went on to coach for a total
of 51 years. He has been head coach since 1966.
We have heard of his accomplishments. He led the team to 19 bowl
victories, more than any other person in his profession. He is the only
coach to win four New Year's Day bowl games: the Rose Bowl, the Sugar
Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Orange Bowl. He also won the Fiesta Bowl. He
had five perfect seasons. He had seven undefeated regular seasons.
Twenty of his teams that he coached finished in the top 10. Twenty-six
of his teams finished in the top 20, and 26 times his team was rated
the best in the East.
He went on to break the record of Pop Warner with his 322nd, and then
on to beat Bear Bryant with his 323rd, and finally, to have the record
with his 324th victory.
He has been selected to the National Football Foundation and Coaches
Football Hall of Fame as the first active coach ever to received its
Distinguished Americans Award. He has won Coach of the Year honors an
unprecedented four times with balloting from his colleagues, an award
that is given by one's peers. Paterno sent more than 200 players to the
National Football League, two of whom, his linebackers, Jack Ham and
fullback Franco Harris, have been enshrined into the Pro Football Hall
Of Fame. As a matter of fact, Joe Paterno changed football, finding out
that if you have a good quarterback, one good running back, but a host
of good linebackers, you can become the national champs.
As a matter of fact, many of his outstanding linebackers came from
our State of New Jersey. One reason that Rutgers has not done well and
that Penn State has is that Joe Paterno learned that the best football
players in the country, especially defensive linebackers that he wanted
to highlight, lived in New Jersey. So Joe Paterno would come to the
Newark Boys and Girls Clubs Annual Banquet where the all-state team was
unfolded by New Jersey's only major paper, the Newark Star Ledger. Joe
Paterno would always speak at that dinner and end up with commitments
from half of New Jersey's top ball players.
So we certainly appreciate Joe Paterno and what he has meant to New
Jersey. I have been in his company on a number of occasions at some of
those dinners 10, 15, 20 years ago. One of my local fellows graduated
from Seton Hall Prep School; Chet Parlavecchio was one of those
linebackers that Joe Paterno took to Penn State. Chet became the
cocaptain of the football team and became one of the outstanding
players.
As has been indicated, Joe Paterno did not only mold good outstanding
ball players, he also was well respected and one of the most admired
figures in college athletics because he also had a commitment to
academics. This is what Joe Paterno said: ``The players who have been
most important to the success of Penn State teams have just naturally
kept their priorities straight. Football a high second, but academics
an undisputed first.'' That is what Joe called ``The Great
Experiment,'' to prove that athletes could also be good students. He
changed the image of what an athlete could be.
He is highly recognized for his support of scholarships, as we have
heard, $3.5 million that he has contributed to Penn State academics
areas. Penn State has produced at least one first team All-American in
30 years in academics. They have graduated over 68 percent of their
entering class teams and have had 80 percent of men going to the school
for 4 years. Penn State has had 20 first-team academic All-Americans,
14 Hall of Fame scholar athletes, and 16 NCAA postgraduate scholarship
winners. He has really done a great job. He is the recipient of three
honorary degrees, one from his alma mater, a Doctor of Laws from Brown,
a Doctor of Human Letters from Gettysburg College, and a Doctor of Laws
from Allegheny College.
So it is a pleasure for us to change the focus here this evening, but
to pay tribute to a great American, a person, as I have indicated, that
I have been proud to know, a person that I respect as a former high
school football coach and track coach back at South Side High School.
When I was a teacher, I could really appreciate the combination between
athletics and sports. So he is really what we call the real stuff. He
is really what makes America great, and I ask my colleagues to support
this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may
[[Page H8111]]
consume to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Peterson), the author of this legislation.
Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me this time.
It is a delight and a privilege tonight to stand here and honor one
of America's greatest, my friend, and my colleagues' friend, Mr. Joe
Paterno. Mr. Speaker, H.Res. 276, we had hoped to make it H.Res. 324 to
honor his 324 victories, but the bureaucracy would not let us do that.
But I am pleased to report that this resolution is sponsored by the
entire Pennsylvania delegation. They were excited to do that.
{time} 2045
If Members had ever had the chance to sit down, meet, and talk with
Joe Paterno, it was quickly obvious why he is so successful. I remember
vividly one time I sat in his office, expecting to spend 5 or 10
minutes with him, and I was there most of an hour. He oozes enthusiasm.
He is real. He is genuine. We talked football, we talked education, and
we talked a little politics.
Mr. Speaker, Joe Paterno set the standard that education comes first,
then athletics, a priority that all coaches should follow. Joe Paterno
coached Penn State's Nittany Lions football team to a 29-to-27 victory
over the Ohio State Buckeyes on October 27, 2001, at Beaver Stadium in
Happy Valley with over 108,000 patrons in attendance. That victory was
Joe Paterno's 324th career coaching victory, making him the winningest
Division 1-A football coach in NCAA history.
But Joe Paterno was much more than a college football coach, Mr.
Speaker, as is shown by this resolution's referral to the Committee on
Education and the Workforce, that says a lot.
After being named head football coach, he launched what he termed
``The Great Experiment,'' and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson)
shared that with us. Mr. Paterno's experiment is succeeding in spades.
He nurtured 21 first-time Academic All-Americans, 14 Hall of Fame
scholar-athletes, and 17 NCAA postgraduate scholarship winners.
From 1996 to 2000, he nurtured nine Academic All-Big-Ten football
honorees, more than any other Big Ten Conference institutions during
that period.
According to the 2000 NCAA Graduation Rate Report, the 4-year
graduation rate of Joe Paterno's Penn State players was 76.5 percent,
more than 50 percent above the 48 percent national average.
Mr. Speaker, Coach Paterno's contributions did not end there. He and
his wife, Sue, have been so unselfish with their time and their
resources over the years. Joe and Sue have continually demonstrated
their loyalty and commitment to Penn State through volunteer efforts
and contributions, including a $3.5 million gift, the most generous
gift ever given to a university by a coach and his family, for academic
scholarships, faculty endowments, and campus construction projects.
Immediately following his first national championship in January of
1983, Joe Paterno bypassed the customary acceptance speech and instead
pressed the university's board of trustees to make Penn State number
one in academics as well as athletics, and began advocating for the
libraries of Penn State.
Joe and Sue Paterno then served as cochairs of the campaign for the
library, which raised $11 million for an expansion effort that would
double the size of the existing library at Penn State's University Park
campus.
The Paternos' generosity and vision were recognized by vote of Penn
State's board of trustees to name the new world-class library after the
Paternos, and at the dedication of the Paterno Library of Penn State's
University Park campus, that occurred on September 8, 2000.
Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, Joe Paterno has received countless awards
for being a role model and mentor for his players, a community leader,
a humanitarian, and a philanthropist who exhibits and promotes the
time-honored values of selflessness, equality, dignity, educational
achievement, and community service.
On the field, Joe is in a class by himself. He has accumulated all
324 of his coaching wins, now 325, where he is currently in his 52nd
season as head coach. He has been on the coaching staff during more
than half of all of the football games played at Penn State since the
football program began in 1887, over half.
He has led Penn State to two national championships, in 1982 and
1986. He led them to five perfect seasons, in 1968, 1969, 1973, 1986,
and 1994.
He has won 20 bowl games at Penn State, an NCAA record. He is the
only coach to have won all four traditional New Year's Day bowl games,
and the Fiesta Bowl.
I clearly remember on many occasions, and even recently, when he did
not allow one or more of his star players to play in a bowl game. It
was more important that they kept the rules than for him to win the
bowl game, a message that I think will be felt by those young men and
appreciated the rest of their lives.
The American Football Coaches Association has named Joe Paterno the
Coach of the Year four times, in 1968, 1978, 1982, and 1986.
Mr. Speaker, JoePa, as he is affectionately known to his extended
Penn State family and to the rest of the football world, has coached 55
first-team All-Americans.
In conclusion, I would like to read the closing of this resolution,
as well as relay a touching quotation which sums up Joe Paterno best.
First, the resolution reads, ``The U.S. House of Representatives
praises Joseph Vincent Paterno for his steadfast commitment to
academics, service, and citizenship;
And congratulates Joseph Vincent Paterno for his many coaching
accomplishments, including his 324th career victory;
And thanks Joseph Vincent Paterno for his contributions to college
football, to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and to the Nation.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, Joe received a touching retrospective from his
high school mentor at the Brooklyn Prep School, the late Father Thomas
Bermingham, who said, ``The Father gave me the sense that I was being
handed a treasure.''
Yes, Joe is a treasure, our treasure.
Joe, we are so proud of your accomplishments and for the privilege to
honor you tonight.
Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, it has been said that Joe Paterno has few peers. That is
an accurate statement. We are very fortunate to have in this House one
of those peers, the former coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr.
Osborne).
Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to
me.
Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise to recognize Joe Paterno. Joe's records
have been well documented with the tremendous career that he has had
with over 52 years at Penn State.
I would like to speak to the issue more as a friend. I have known Joe
for roughly 25 years. We have been together often, both professionally
and on social occasions. Our teams played against each other on five
different occasions. So I have gotten to know him pretty well.
I guess what I would like to focus on are some things about Joe that
I have really appreciated as a fellow coach.
First of all, there is the issue of longevity. Fifty-two years at one
school is unheard of. I do not know of any other coach, even Amos
Alonzo Stag, who has done anything to approximate that number of years,
36 years as a head coach. There is a lot of wear and tear in 52 years
of coaching and in 36 years as a head coach. The local folks know you
best, so being at one school for 52 years is very similar to being
elected to public office 52 straight years, because that is kind of
what goes on in the coaching profession.
So he has been a survivor, he has been a great competitor over a long
period of time.
Secondly, Joe cared about his players. I think that is probably the
greatest compliment that you can pay a coach, because at its worst,
coaching can be manipulative, at its best it can be nurturing. Joe was
somebody who genuinely cared about the well-being of his players beyond
the playing field.
We have talked at some length about graduation rates. There have been
a lot
[[Page H8112]]
of different figures thrown out here tonight. I do not know exactly
what the figure is, but obviously he put academics first. If a player
did not go to class, he did not get to play, and his academic record
was tremendous.
He always was very interested in decorum and discipline. His players
always wore coats and ties when they went on the road. I do not believe
that he ever had a team that I can remember that countenanced any kind
of trash talking or insubordinate behavior on the playing field. I
always appreciated that when we played against him.
Then I guess also I would mention that Joe cared about the game of
football. In the off season, it is easy to take some time off, but Joe
always went to the NCAA meetings and went to the coaches' meetings. He
was very instrumental in accomplishing some NCAA legislation that was
really critical to college football, and of course the fact that he was
recognized four times as Coach of the Year by his peers would indicate
how much coaches esteemed Joe and appreciated his work.
Lastly, I would just say that he is a quality person, fun to be
around, with a good sense of humor, and a good family man. He and Sue
had five children, three grandchildren. His generosity has been
mentioned many times.
In conclusion, I would just like to congratulate Joe, not only for
achieving a great milestone, but more importantly, I would like to
congratulate him for the way in which he accomplished this milestone.
We appreciate him very much.
Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to
me.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Peterson) for House Resolution 276. But I have to admit I have
goosebumps following the great gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) to
talk about one of my heroes.
I rise tonight to honor the achievements of a Pennsylvania icon,
Joseph Vincent Paterno. Coach Paterno, or JoePa, as he is
affectionately known, became part of the Penn State football family in
1950 as an assistant coach. In 1966 he was promoted to the position of
head coach, a title he has held for 35 years and counting.
His success at Penn State is unparalleled: 325 career victories, 20
victories in bowl games, two national championships, four-time Coach of
the Year, and six undefeated seasons.
While Joe Paterno has unquestionably set the standard of excellence
on the football field, it is his accomplishments off the field that
truly make him a cut above the rest.
Among the hundreds and thousands of Penn State players Joe Paterno
has coached are an astounding 21 first-team Academic All-Americans.
Penn State football players concentrate on academics first and football
second. The proof of this is that while the average graduation rate for
NCAA college football schools is 48 percent, Penn State players have a
remarkable 4-year graduation rate of 76.5 percent.
Joe Paterno does more than coach football. He is a mentor, a teacher,
a friend, and an inspiration to all those that he has touched. Coach
Paterno's influence and work have extended far beyond the football
field. His service to the community of State College and the
Pennsylvania State University System is unmatched.
From an unprecedented gift of $3.5 million to Penn State University
in 1997 to his chairmanship of the $11 million campaign to expand Penn
State's library, Joe Paterno has made education and community
development his top priority.
To honor JoePa's devotion to excellence in education, the Penn State
Board of Trustees voted to name a wing of the library in his honor.
I congratulate Coach Paterno on the landmark record of 324 career
victories, and thank him for all he has done for Pennsylvania, and best
wishes for 324 more.
Mr. Gekas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Joe
Paterno, Head Coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Coach Paterno
just celebrated his 324th career football victory and continues a
steadfast commitment to coaching, community service and education. The
2001 football season has undoubtedly been a remarkable and memorable
time for Mr. Paterno and all Penn State fans and alumni.
On October 27, 2001, Coach Paterno railled the Nittany Lions to a 29-
27 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes. This memorable triumph marked
Coach Paterno's 324th career coaching victory, making him the
winningest Division I-A football coach in NCAA history, a record which
will, beyond question, stand for some years to come. That victory
surpassed the former record of 323 wins held by the legendary Paul
``Bear'' Bryant. Amazingly, all 324 wins were recorded at Penn State,
where Paterno is currently in his fifty-second season as a coach.
Over the years, Coach Paterno's career has far exceeded that of any
other collegiate coach. He led teams to nineteen bowl victories, more
than anyone in his profession. He became the only coach to win four New
Year's Day games--the Rose, Sugar, Cotton and Orange Bowls. He captured
national championships in 1982 and 1986 and had teams finish
undefeated, but uncrowned, in 1968, 1969, 1973 and 1994. A few of Coach
Paterno's honors include winning the Coach of the Year Award an
unprecedented four times in balloting by the American Football Coaches
Association. He was selected by the National Football Foundation and
College Football Hall of Fame as the first active coach ever to receive
its ``Distinguished American Award'' and appeared on the cover of
Sports Illustrated as its 1986 Sportsman of the Year.
While holding these prestigious records and awards is certainly an
honor for Coach Paterno, it is just one facet of his many
accomplishments and commitments throughout the years. Coach Paterno and
his wife, Sue, have continually shown their loyalty and commitment to
education through their generous contributions and volunteer efforts.
The Paterno's have donated more than $3.5 million for academic
scholarships, faculty endowments and campus construction projects. This
is the most money ever donated to a university by a coach and his
family. The Paterno's served as Co-Chairs of the Campaign for the
Library, which raised $11 million for an expansion effort that would
double the size of the existing library at Penn State's University Park
campus.
Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I commend and
congratulate a fellow Pennsylvanian, Coach Joe Paterno, for his many
coaching accomplishments, including his 324th career coaching victory,
and thank him and his family for their contributions to the community,
nation and college football. I am certain Coach Paterno will continue
to be a community leader, a philanthropist and most of all, a role
model and mentor to many. Thank you JoPa.
Mr. DOYLE. Mr. Speaker, as a proud graduate of the Penn State Class
of 1975 and as the only current Democratic Member of Congress to have
graduated from Pennsylvania State University, it gives me great
pleasure to honor a great institution of Pennsylvania and college
football, Coach Joseph Paterno. As an original cosponsor of this
legislation, want to extend my heartfelt appreciation and admiration
for JoPa's achievements in athletics and academics.
Today, we are considering House Resolution 276, praising Joseph
Paterno for his steadfast commitment to academics, service, and
citizenship. Additionally, Coach Paterno has managed to win 324 college
football games during his tenure in Happy Valley, surpassing football
legends like Paul ``Bear'' Bryant and Pop Warner.
On the way to achieving this unprecedented milestone, JoPa has led
the Nittany Lions to 19 bowl victories, more than any other Divison 1-A
football coach in history, and was selected by the National Football
Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame to receive the
prestigious ``Distinguished American'' Award, becoming the first active
football coach ever to receive the award.
During his acceptance speech at the 1991 Hall of Fame induction,
Coach Paterno said: ``What are coaches? Number one, we're teachers and
we're educators . . . we probably have more influence over our young
people than anyone other than families.''
We could laud Coach Paterno all day on his outstanding achievements
on the football field, and deservingly so, but JoPa always stressed
academic success and dedication to community to all his players. He has
insisted upon a ``total person'' approach towards cultivating his
players, encouraging and developing responsibilities to academics and
personal lifestyle in addition to athletic ability.
The Paterno approach not only produces winning collegiate football
teams, but also develops educated, well-rounded and successful college
graduates. The Grant Experiment of Coach Paterno has produced 20 first-
team Academic All-Americans, 14 Hall of Fame Scholar-Athletes, and 16
NCAA postgraduate scholarship winners. The Penn State football team has
a 68 percent graduation rate . . . well above the national norm 50
percent. The
[[Page H8113]]
four-year average rate for the team was 74 percent.
Indeed, Paterno said, ``The purpose of college football is to serve
education, not the other way around.''
Joe and Sue Paterno have give much of their lives to college football
during Joe's 51 year career at my alma mater, and in 1997, announced
their intention to give $3.5 million dollars to endow new faculty
positions and scholarships, thus continuing their commitment to
academic success. As part of this endowment, special new construction
projects are being undertaken, including the Pasquerilla Spiritual
Center, a new interfaith chapel as well as an all sports museum to be
built on campus.
Coach Paterno once said ``A great library is the hear of a great
university.'' He and his wife established the Paterno Libraries
endowment in 1984, growing the fund to over $4 million dollars. The
Paternos have ensured greatness for library facilities and academics at
Penn State by serving as co-chairs of the campaign to expand the Pattee
Library. Their efforts helped raise $14 million to expand the library,
including a personal contribution of $250,000. The expansion doubled
the size of the library, and the University dedicated the new wing in
September of last year, aptly naming the new expansion the Paterno
Library.
In conclusion Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope the Members of the House
of Representatives will join me in recognizing the contributions Coach
Paterno has given to America, not just as successful football coach,
but as an example of loyalty, dedication, and commitment to improving
oneself in life. I salute JoPa, and wish him the very best of luck.
Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 276, to
honor Joe Paterno for his commitment to academics, service and
citizenship and to congratulate Penn State Coach Paterno for his many
coaching accomplishments including his 324th career coaching victory.
I thank my colleague, Congressman John Peterson, who represents the
5th District of Pennsylvania which includes my alma mater, The
Pennsylvania State University, for sponsoring this resolution.
This resolution is a fitting tribute to one of the giants of American
college football. It acknowledges the accomplishments of Joe Paterno on
the football field as the winning major college football coach in
history. He surpassed the former record of 323 wins held by the
legendary Paul ``Bear'' Bryant when the Nittany Lions came from behind
to defeat Big Ten rival Ohio State by a score of 29-27 on October 27.
What makes the record so special, especially for Penn State alumni
and fans, is that all those wins have come as Coach Paterno paced the
sidelines as head coach for Penn State, where he has spent his entire
coaching career.
This resolution also recognizes Joe Paterno for being a mentor and
role model for his players. When he launched ``The Great Experiment''
upon taking the helm in 1966 as head football coach at Penn State, he
wanted to demonstrate that Division I college student-athletes could
achieve greatness on the football field while also excelling in the
classroom and becoming valuable assets to their communities after
receiving their degrees and leaving the gridiron.
There can be no doubt that ``The Great Experiment'' has been
successful. Joe's teams have twice been national champions. They have
had five perfect seasons. They hold the NCAA record for post-season
bowl wins at 20. Joe is the only coach to have won all four traditional
New Year's Day bowl games--the Rose, Sugar, Cotton and Orange--as well
as the Fiesta Bowl. Joe has been named ``Coach of the Year'' by the
American Football Coaches Association an unprecedented four times. He's
coached 55 first-team football All-Americans.
As significant as all those records and accolades are, there are
other statistics in Coach Paterno's coaching career to which I believe
he would give greater import. That's the value of ``The Great
Experiment'' at Penn State which Joe Paterno places on the student side
of student-athlete.
He has coached 21 first-term Academic All-Americans; 14 Hall of Fame
Scholar-Athletes; and 17 NCAA postgraduate scholarship winners. In
addition, between 1996 and 2000 under Joe's tutelage, Penn State had 69
Academic All-Big Ten football honorees, more than any other big Ten
Conference institution during those years. Joe takes great pride in the
number of young men in his football program who receives their degrees
from Penn State, and in the 2000 NCAA Graduation Rate Report, the four-
year graduation rate of Coach Paterno's players was over 76 percent.
The national average is 48 percent.
In 1983 shortly after his first national championship, he challenged
Penn State's Board of Trustees to make the University number one in
academics as well as athletics and began his crusade for the libraries
at Penn State. With his wife Sue, Joe served as co-chair of the
Campaign for the Library which raised $11 million to expand and double
the size of the existing library on Penn State's University Park
campus. In a fitting tribute to Joe and Sue, the new world-class
facility dedicated last September bears the name Paterno Library.
Joe and Sue Paterno are generous in their tireless work and
commitment to Penn State, not only through their volunteer efforts, but
through their financial contributions. Their $3.5 million gift to Penn
State for academic scholarships, faculty endowments and campus building
projects is the most generous ever given to a university by a coach and
his family.
Joe Paterno is one of those rare and wonderful individuals whose life
is grounded in the highest of values, integrity, and service and who is
true to his God, his family and his fellow man. Penn State and the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have been blessed with his presence and
now it is fitting that the people's House recognize his commitment to
academics, service and citizenship and congratulate and thank him for
his contributions to college football and to the nation.
We salute Coach Paterno, his wife Sue and his family, all the teams
he has lead over the years to victory and all the young men who have
not only learned how to play football under his tutelage, but who have
learned life lessons from one of the best teachers they could ever
have.
Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask Members to adopt the resolution.
I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of
my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Forbes). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 276.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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