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Football coaching legend Joe Paterno has died of lung cancer. He was 85. Although the former coach of Penn State football team gained notoriety in the sexual abuse case involving his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky; to many Paterno remains to this day, the greatest football coach.
Paterno was the head coach of Penn State’s football program for a record 46 years, from 1966 to 2011. Paterno, or JoePa as he was fondly called by friends and admirers held several records. The record for the most victories in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision with 409 wins was one such record. In 2007, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
In November 2011, Joe Paterno was fired from his job at Penn State when his assistant Sandusky came under investigation for sexually abusing young boys in the program. Paterno was not directly involved in the abuse but faced criticism for not doing enough to stop it. He talked to university officials about it but did not tell the police. His critics alleged that Paterno shielded an accused child molester for nine years. Sandusky, faced with 52 charges of abusing 10 boys over a period of 15 years, still maintains his innocence.
Paterno’s death is unlikely to affect the case in any major way, but is expected to weaken the criminal case against two other university officials who have been charged with perjury. But if some of the accusers are thinking of suing Paterno, his estate could still be named in the case. In related news, the Westboro Baptist Church is planning to protest at his funeral. The controversial group believes that Paterno encouraged the child abuse for fame and fortune.
