He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2011
With 409 victories, Paterno is the most victorious coach in NCAA FBS history
His career ended with his dismissal from the team in November, 2011 as a result of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal
Paterno was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended Brown University, where he played football both ways as the quarterback and a cornerback
Originally planning to be a lawyer, he instead signed on as an assistant football coach at Penn State in 1950, pers귭 by his college coach Rip Engle who had taken over as Penn State's head coach
In 1966, Paterno was named as Engle's successor
He soon coached the team to two undefeated regular seasons in 1968 and 1969
The team won two national championships—in 1982 and 1986
Paterno coached five undefeated teams that won major bowl games and, in 2007, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach
In all, he led the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl appearances with 24 wins while turning down offers to coach National Football League (NFL) teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots
After the child sex abuse scandal involving his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky broke in full in November 2011, Paterno announced that he would retire at the end of the season
However, on November 9, the Penn State Board of Trustees rejected this offer and fired him, effective immediately
An investigation conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh concluded in July 2012 that Paterno concealed facts relating to Sandusky's sexual abuse of young boys
The investigation also uncovered information that Paterno may have pers귭 university officials not to report Sandusky to authorities in 2001
A report composed by the law firm King & Spalding and commissioned by the Paterno family has disputed his involvement in the alleged coverup and accused Freeh of making unsupported conclusions
On July 23, 2012, the NCAA vacated all of Penn State's wins from 1998 through 2011 as part of its punishment for the child sex abuse scandal, eliminating 111 of the games Paterno had coached and won, dropping him from first to 12th on the list of winningest NCAA football coaches
State senator Jake Corman and state treasurer Rob McCord launched a lawsuit against the NCAA in January 2013 to overturn the sanctions on Penn State, on the basis that Freeh had been actively collaborating with the NCAA and that due process had not been followed, and as part of the settlement the NCAA reversed its decision on January 16, 2015 and restored the 111 wins to Paterno's record
Paterno died of complications from lung cancer on January 22, 2012, only two months after being fired
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Related celebs
Scott Paterno, David Paterno, Diana Paterno, Mary Kay Paterno, Suzanne Pohland
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