Dear JoePa, Please Retire for Good of Penn State

Filed under: Penn State, Coaching

It's too bad Bear Bryant isn't still alive. He might be old enough that even Joe Paterno would listen to him.

A 97-year-old Bear would tell Paterno to do himself a favor. Retire after this season. Don't put yourself and your school through the ugliness that neither deserves.

In short, learn from history.

It says that the greatest coaches know how to do everything except quit. It happened with Bobby Bowden, it happened with Eddie Robinson and you can see the freight train barreling toward State College.

Illinois humiliated Penn State 33-13 last Saturday. There's a Joe's-Too-Old reaction after every bad bump. But when Ron Zook ruins your Homecoming, it's time for some serious reflection.

The 3-3 Nittany Lions are lifeless and there's no pulse in sight. Yes, Paterno has been here before. Things were so bad in 2004 that the school president asked him to step aside.

JoePa told the president what he could do with his resignation letter. He then went out and averaged 10 wins over the next five seasons. Good for him, but that has only made things stickier now.

Paterno is convinced he can do it again, and he has the power to stare down anyone who says differently. But he can't do it again, no matter how badly we'd like him to.

The guy was born in 1926, for chrissakes. You know who else happened that year? NBC formed its first radio network. Annie Oakley died. Fidel Castro was born.

The difference is Castro realizes even he can't be dictator for life. Paterno is looking almost as frail as El Presidente. His assistants have long done the heavy lifting, but the Delegator-in-Chief system is starting to crack.

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