…and the Nittany Lions
Coach Joe Paterno in a Celebratory Parade
As a former reporter for United Press International, I was enthralled with this account from fellow Unipresser Doug Page on the day he rode with Joe Paterno in a parade celebrating Penn State’s national football championship.
It was a frigid day in January 1987 and Page’s legs were nearly frozen when he arrived at the stadium and had to give a speech to the assembled fans. He warmed himself and the crowd with lines designed to incite the fans into a cheering frenzy. That’s one way of giving an “icebreaker.”
When I was with UPI in Oklahoma City in the days of Barry Switzer, I was not so fortunate to get to meet the famous coach or to even cover a Sooners football game. Those duties fell to more senior staffers.
I can honestly say that I’m impressed and a little jealous that my one-time colleague got the chance to meet one of the most successful coaches of all time.
It is sad to see such a storied coach as Joe Paterno go down the way he has. But it’s even sadder what happened to the kids involved in this tragedy. There may have been words that fit the moment on that celebratory day in 1987, but there are no words that can assuage the pain and damage done to those young people.
