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Friday, May 26, 2006
Longevity of Bowden, Paterno worth celebrating
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When I was a very young reporter one of my mentors, Irwin Smallwood of the Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record, gave me some very good advice:
“Never be cynical but ALWAYS be skeptical.”
It was a piece of wisdom that has served me well.
But sometimes it is hard not to be cynical about college football.
When a Texas player’s national championship ring ends up on eBay just months after one of the greatest college football games in history, it’s hard not to be cynical.
When coaches cut academic and ethical corners because the money has become so great, it’s hard not to be cynical.
When boosters buy players with no regard to the damage it can do to the institution they profess to love, it’s hard not to be cynical.
When college presidents talk about academic integrity and then fire a coach who doesn’t cheat and who graduates most of his players, it’s hard not to be cynical.
There are times, my friends, when this job makes you want to stand up and shout:
“What the hell are you people doing to our game!”
But then comes a day like Thursday when, for 30 unforgettable minutes, you listen to Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno.
The two most successful coaches in Division I-A history were on a conference call Thursday when the National Football Foundation announced that the two men would share the Gold Medal, the highest award given by that organization. Now this is not an old coaches award. Among the previous recipients are Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and John Wayne. This is a really big deal.
Bowden is 76. Paterno is 79. Both have been head football coaches for 40 years. Both have been coaches for over 50 years. Think of that.
When Bowden was 13 years old, he was confined to his bed for over a year with rheumatic fever. With only his radio to keep him company, Bowden listened to reports of World War II at night and Alabama football on Saturday afternoons. He could have taken his money and gone to the beach a long time ago, but he still wants to coach.
“I stayed in because I finally got to the point where I could help people,” said Bowden.
In 1950 Paterno was 23 years old and headed to law school but needed a job to repay a $2,000 debt. So he became an assistant football coach at Penn State. He’s still there.
“When I told my dad that I wanted to try this (coaching), he told me to make sure that I made a contribution to the institution,” said Paterno.
Not only has Paterno been a part of Penn State football for 56 years, several years ago he and his wife, Sue, pledged $3.5 million of their own money to endow faculty positions and scholarships.
Now I’m not saying that these men are without flaws. Their football programs have been touched by disappointment. Some of their players have gotten on the wrong side of the law. In a world of instant news, there are times when both men seem out of place.
I would submit that being out of place in today’s climate is probably a good thing. For at the end of the day it can be argued that both men care about the game and care about the people who play the game. That doesn’t make them perfect but it does make them unusual.
Today’s game-with all of its pressure, money, and media attention-will never again allow a man to coach at one school for 30 years. Just as surely as radio gave way to TV and TV gave way to the internet, once Bowden and Paterno are gone, the era of college football’s great coaching icons-Bryant, Neyland, Vaught, Osborne, Hayes, Dooley-will be over.
So let’s enjoy Bowden and Paterno while they are still here. Regardless of how many games they win, their continued presence should make us all a little less cynical about the game. And that’s worth celebrating.
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