Joe Paterno, the most successful coach in major college football history, the face of Penn State University, and at one point, among the most admired figures in the entire sporting world, is dead at the age of 85. News of Paterno’s death from lung cancer came early Sunday morning. At the center of one of the worst scandals to ever hit the sports world, what JoePa’s legacy will be, once the dust clears, is up to more people than just Lions fans. Ibrahim Abdul Matin, Takeaway Sports Contributor talks about the life, death, and legacy of Joe Paterno.
Also joining the program is Michael Weinreb, staff writer for Grantland and a native of State College, Pennsylvania. Michael has written a number of essays on Penn State amidst the abuse scandal and those can be found at Grantland.com.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.