Jay Paterno
-
The Lonely Moment of the Home Football Season’s End
—
by
Shortly after the final whistle sounds for the final game in late November, the exodus begins. Fans walk out of the gates, senior football players gather on the field for a few last pictures in their home stadium and the staff and workers under the stadium begin to close up for the year. In the…
-
Looking Back at College Football’s Past Helps to Understand Its Future
—
by
“If you know your history, then you would know where you’re coming from.” –Bob Marley, “Buffalo Soldier” As big-time college football enters its biggest month at a time of massive change, it seems a good time to look at some history to understand where we’re coming from and where we’re headed. And sticking with the…
-
Sign Stealing Is a Long-Time Practice Across College Football
—
by
As a graduate assistant coach at the University of Virginia in 1992, I was watching a Florida State game a few weeks before we would be playing them. As FSU’s no-huddle offense was going up and down the field, I noticed their quarterback, Charlie Ward, using hand signals to relay play calls to his teammates.…
-
A Sermon for the Faithful This Homecoming Weekend
—
by
Author’s note: Much of this was written before Penn State Homecoming in 2016, a Big Ten Championship season for the Nittany Lion football team (foreshadowing for 2023 perhaps?). But much has changed in college football, so this is an updated “Sermon for the Faithful This Homecoming Weekend” “No great thing is ever accomplished without a…
-
Deion Sanders Understands This Era of College Football Better Than Most
—
by
The sound of gloating this past Saturday was the only thing drowning out the thuds of those jumping off the Colorado/Coach Prime bandwagon as the Oregon Ducks ran roughshod over the Buffaloes on Saturday afternoon. Truth is, Oregon is a better football team than Colorado right now. Rather than appreciate the Ducks team, many found…
-
Thank You for Your Patience
—
by
Tuesday, as the dogs sniffed the dewy grass, the foggy morning sun among the mist gave the arching trees an aural glow. Some leaves have already started to fall, but they’re just a fraction of the radiant magnificence to come in October. Tomatoes are ripening each day as the late summer sunlight turns them from…
-
A New Academic Year and New Challenges
—
by
A little over a year ago, new Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi’s arrival brought a lot of excitement. As with every new leader there begins, upon the ascension to a new office, what is affectionately known as a honeymoon period. As the year has passed, it has become clear that the honeymoon era has transitioned…
-
They’re Paving Paradise to Put Up a Parking Lot
—
by
“They paved paradise, put up a parking lot. With a pink hotel, a boutique and a swingin’ hot spot.” –Joni Mitchell, “Big Yellow Taxi.” In the late 1980s and early 1990s during Friday Happy Hour you could hear Randy Hughes sing this song at the Phyrst. Also during that happy hour, I was known to…
-
The Beach Week
—
by
The start of a beach week is always special. But as your week begins, someone else’s is ending. For those heading to a familiar place each year, the annual pictures taken in the same place create a collage of change, of times’ inevitable march forward. Perhaps nowhere else is this as noticeable as the inevitable…
-
Front Porch Rantings
—
by
“They say a kitchen is the heart of a house, but I believe the porch is its soul.” – Author Rick Bragg If that statement is true, this is the time of year when the porch of many homes is inhabited by slightly cranky old souls. Mine is no different. While society may define us…