Sad Day in College Football with the firing of Joe Paterno at Penn State University

We learned tonight that the 46 year career of Joe Paterno as head football coach at Penn State University has ended with his termination by the Board of Trustees. It is a sad day in College Football, with news of Joe Paterno's dismissal. However, it is hard to disagree that the Paterno should leave immediately.

Earlier in the day, Joe Paterno informed Penn State that he would retire at the end of the 2011 season, but the Board of Trustees decided tonight, after a meeting at the Penn State University campus that Joe Paterno has been fired. The President of Penn State University has also been fired tonight by the Board of Directors.

The Nittany Lions have three games left in the Big Ten season, with Senior Day on Saturday vs. Nebraska, then two road games, @ Ohio State and @ Wisconsin. In light of the tragic story involving a former Penn State defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, and the potential cover up by the administration at Penn State University over the past nine years, it isn't surprising to see Joe Paterno's career at Penn State end tonight.

Current defensive coordinator Tom Bradley will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season. One would expect the entire staff will be dismissed at the end of the season. With this ugly story of sexual abuse by a former PSU coach and the possible cover up, Penn State University begins the purging of the principals that were present during this emerging story in State College.

Joe Paterno is not guilty of any criminal violations, but the ethics and moral responsibility appears to have a gap. In his own words, Joe Paterno wished he would have done more. The University is moving on. It is a sad day indeed in College Football and State College.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those negatively impacted by this abuse scandal and the series of events surrounding this development.

Personally, I began watching College Football around 1973, which was one of the five undefeated seasons for Joe Paterno. My College Football history has always involved Joe Paterno coaching in it. Today, like with Woody Hayes at Ohio State, we witness an end of a historic career with a firing, rather than a retirement. It was the right business decision and like many who follow College Football, I agree with it.

Is Joe Pa coaching his final games in '08?

Joe Paterno has been an icon at Penn State and for college football for quite some time. He became head coach at Penn State in 1966.

My first memories of Joe Paterno were in the early to mid 1970s. I began attending Iowa football games in 1974. Iowa and Penn State were playing one another back then.

With Joe Paterno under contact only through the end of this season, it's pretty easy to speculate that one of his assistants could be taking over on the sidelines quite soon.

Reports out of Pennsylvania speculate that Joe Paterno and Penn State will look inside the Nittany Lion program for his replacement.

So, could former Florida Gator head coach and current Penn State offensive coordinator Galen Hall be a top candidate in the near future? I have heard many college football fans mention current Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who has been a loyal Joe Pa assistant for more years.

Galen Hall coached at Florida from mid-1984 to mid-1989. There were problems associated with the SEC program back in the 1980s. But, Hall is coaching currently at Penn State, so past issues shouldn't be relevant today? Hall was 40-18-1 for the Florida Gators as head coach. His best season, they went 9-1-1, but were ineligible for post season play and conference honors.

Ironically, UCLA hired former college head coach Rick Neuheisel, who has been coaching in the NFL as an assistant after run-ins with the NCAA, while a head coach in the Pac Ten.

It will be an interesting season, but conventional wisdom seems to indicate that Purdue's Joe Tiller may not be the only head coach in the Big Ten finishing his career as a football coach after the 2008 season. Stay tuned.

peace