The house at the end of the block was fast taking on the feel of a shrine when Joe Paterno stepped into the crisp November night with his wife, Sue, by his side. Students had gathered on the lawn, some carrying hand-lettered signs, many near tears and all of them confused, sad and angry.
For the first time in nearly half a century, Paterno was no longer Penn State’s head coach, fired moments earlier by university trustees desperate to contain the damage caused by a child sex-abuse scandal involving former defensive coordinator and one-time heir apparent Jerry Sandusky.
An era was ending, Paterno acknowledged.
“Right now, I’m not the coach. And I’ve got to get used to that,” he said.
A mere 74 days later, Paterno was dead.
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Paterno’s 46th season in charge at Penn State began with a blindside hit — an omen, perhaps, of the trouble to come.
As the Nittany Lions ran drills during a preseason practice Aug. 7, Paterno was watching the defense when wide receiver Devon Smith slammed into the then-84-year-old coach, injuring his shoulder and pelvis. Paterno spent two nights in the hospital, and the injuries would keep him in the pressbox during games for much of the season.
But he
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