RIP Joe Paterno

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/12/30/joe_paterno_shoes.jpg

Good idea for a thread. RIP Joe Pa. God bless.

Probably the saddest sports story of the year.Some say he lost his will and died of a broken heart. I believe that.Well over half a century he bled Penn St blue and white.All he ever wanted to do was defend his kids and protect the university

LDX97 wrote:...Some say he lost his will and died of a broken heart. I believe that...

I believe that, too. I was a psychology minor in school and they say that many elderly people pass away for many obvious reasons, but two include when they no longer have anything to look forward to and when they don't feel needed. Both of those reasons often include the loss of a job. I honestly believe that Joe Pa would have lived a bit longer if not fired from his job. I'm not saying that he should or should not have been let go; I'm just saying that in all his coaching years, he felt needed and had that to look forward to to keep him going.

I agree Wholeheartedly...Just like Bear Bryant,who died soon after he left coaching....when you lose your purpose....It's game over....I'll continue to remember the 40+ years of good times

Yep. Dean Smith hasn't been doing well for a while; I love the fact that he still has an office at the Dean E. Smith Center at UNC. I'm sure he feels like he is needed in a way, even though he may rarely even go into that office.