Joe Paterno fired
National titles in 1982 and 1986 cemented him as one of the game's greats. In all, "Joe Pa" guided five teams to unbeaten, untied seasons, and he reached 300 wins faster than any other coach.
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PSU trustees fire Paterno, Spanier
For the first time in almost a half-century, someone other than Joe Paterno is calling the shots at Penn State.
The winningest coach in major college football history was unceremoniously dumped Wednesday night along with Penn State president Graham Spanier, fired in phone calls by a board of trustees fed up with the damage being done to the university's reputation by a child sex-abuse scandal involving Paterno's one-time heir apparent.
"Right now, I'm not the football coach. And I've got to get used to that. After 61 years, I've got to get used to it," the 84-year-old Paterno said, speaking outside his house. "Let me think it through."
Paterno had earlier in the day announced his intention to retire at the end of the season, his 46th.
It didn't matter.
Credit: AP Photo/Ralph Wilson
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