A lifetime commitment and it is gone in an instant…
…JoePa follows Woody Hayes
I had the pleasure of meeting both Coach Joe Paterno and Coach Woody Hayes in 1982. The meeting with Coach Paterno took place just prior to the Penn State vs Nebraska game and it was an incredible moment. To top it off, the result of that game firmly established Penn State as a contender for the national championship.
Talk about pressure and excitement!
Penn State's Joe Paterno and a Final Farewell
Once and for all, fans and rivals alike recognized that Penn State was for real!
“Joe Paterno, Longtime Penn State Coach, Dies at 85″
Sadly, it only takes one mistake, one lapse in judgement, for a good man to lose it all. One act, just one, can tarnish a spotless reputation. One act can erase a lifetime of giving and selfless acts.
POOF!
In JoePa’s case, his reputation was built upon excellence. Coach Paterno raised the bar and kept it there, challenging his players constantly and never allowing them to coast or lower the bar when they got tired.
Coach Paterno Believed in Football!
JoePa felt football was a vehicle, a means to an end for many of his players. Additionally, JoePa recognized that, in many ways, football is a microcosm of life. In Happy Valley, Joe Paterno helped his players understand life and set about the task of teaching and applying a myriad of life lessons, including how to win.
Lessons and Habits:
- The value of setting and achieving goals
- The value of hard work
- The value of applying lessons learned
- The value of determination and self-sacrifice
- The value of persistence
- The value of treating superiors with respect
- The VALUE of working smart and hard
Joe Paterno understood why the values listed above form a template for success. Coach Paterno led by example, recognizing that personal and private work habits are the keys to the kingdom.
Incredibly, JoePa’s work ethic was second to none…even at the age of 85. The Coach’s work ethic motivated his players and instilled in them a work ethic that would serve them well for the rest of their lives; this, was just one component of the legacy he left behind.
My guess? When it comes right down to it? I believe Joe Paterno died of a broken heart!
I also believe that all of the controversy surrounding…that other coach…was just too much for JoePa. To watch everything he’d created collapse in around him must have played like _______________ (fill in the blank). If you can visualize one of the many scenes from Inception, you know what I am talking about.
We may never be able to answer all of the questions surrounding the Penn State debacle. But for Joe Paterno, the clock has finally run out.
I hope he is at peace!
He did so much for so many, he deserved so much more. The real tragedy is this whole guilty until proven innocent thing, combined with a media feeding frenzy, of course.
Joe Paterno Walks Off for the Last Time--He Will Be Missed!
It is my hope that he found peace as the final play of the final game of life unfolded. It is also my sincere wish that, as the final whistle blew and time ran out, Joe Paterno was able to leave this world for something better with a clear conscience.
Answers to “The Question!”
Frankly, any questions we could have asked Coach Paterno would have lead to more questions. Even if we had finally reached the truth, the answers would still sound like excuses, leaving us flat.
The media, as well as much of the general public (that word again!), had already pronounced him guilty.
But what about the questions?
- What did he know?
- When did he know it?
- How much did he know?
- If he knew, way didn’t he act?
- If he did pass it on, who else is responsible?
Sadly, gratefully, we may never have all the answers, and Coach Paterno will never be able to make things right.
That being said, JoePa was a fighter and, even on the eve of his death, he tried to reclaim his life. You see, Coach Paterno loved Penn State, and Coach Paterno loved football, but most of all he lived for his players. The three together defined his life, one inextricably linked to the other.
His legacy?
Penn State Football!
In the final moments of his life, Coach Paterno made a sizable donation to Penn State to give back once again. Was it an attempt, a gesture, towards reconciliation? That’s what the media will suggest.
Just one more cannon ball into a sinking ship.
As stated above, we may never know; and that’s the real tragedy.
Woody Hayes: And “If only….”
Coach Hayes appeared for me as a speaker in 1982. My company sponsored a drive to save a local school system’s extra-curricular activities. It was a wonderful experience on so many levels.
As the festival took shape, it was clear right that most of the festival’s attendees came to see Woody, to hear and see The Coach.
The sports festival was my baby and I worked on it for months. All the hard work was paying off, it promised to be an amazing day. I asked several top-flight athletes and coaches from Northeast Ohio (amateur and professional coaches and athletes) to donate their time, to speak and run clinics…they did it without hesitation.
Back to Woody Hayes: On the Road Again!
Four months prior to the festival, I called Coach Hayes and explained the situation and why I needed him. Woody never hesitated, not for an instant, he said he’d be there!
Coach Hayes never asked for a fee, never asked for any kind of reimbursement, and he was on time. And there’s the kicker, in order to be on time, Woody had to leave Columbus at 5:00am.
Like Coach Paterno, Coach Hayes made a huge mistake too, a mistake he was unable to erase.
During a break in the sports festival, we talked about the 800 pound gorilla in the room;
The Punch!
Coach Hayes brought it up, I didn’t know what to say, so I let him speak. In his own words, he told me what happened. One mistake and he was fired. He understood why, Ohio State University was overwhelmed by the press, by certain factions in the alumni association. The outcry from the general public…never my favorite phrase…and how the whole episode had taken on a life of its own.
Woody just didn’t understand how it happened!
Over the years, try as he may, Woody could never undo the damage done in that split second. Sadly, when I think back to our conversation, I can still see the pain in his eyes.
Coach Hayes’s pain is the worst kind of pain: Psychic pain!
I believe JoePa experienced the same sort of psychic pain as the Penn State debacle took on shape and a life of its own. Perhaps more?
Think Internet!
Significantly, both men fought to reclaim their reputations, regardless of the cost. And, both men died with so many questions still unanswered.
The Conversation: Coach Woody Hayes, John Zajaros, and The Punch
Coach Hayes:
“Jack, as many times as I play that slap or punch back in my mind, I can never stop my hand from striking that boy. In an instant, everything I had worked for, all the good I’d accomplished, simply evaporated.”
Sounds like a scene from Hoosiers?
Perhaps, Blue Chips with Nick Nolte. Nolte plays a volatile basketball coach, a cross between Bobby Knight and Woody Hayes.
HINT: When Gene Hackman fesses up about why he was banned from coaching basketball. Art imitating Life and vice versa!
Yup, Hoosiers almost line for line!
Jack (me):
“I’m very sorry Coach! Is that why you do this, accept speaking engagements for charities and causes you think are worthy and worthwhile? Have you come to terms with the backlash?”
Joe Paterno and Woody Hayes: Ohio State Meets Penn State on Neutral Ground!
Woody:
“The stigma, or the backlash as you call it, is always there, spoken or unspoken. So yes, it’s part of it, certainly. But it’s a lot more that that. I have always contributed and always will. At this point in my life my time is my own. I derive a great deal of satisfaction from meeting athletes young and old. I enjoy appearing at events like this, it gives me a chance to stay active and to give something back to Ohio and Ohio State.”
Woody and I talked a bit longer and then he collected himself and left. He left the same way he came, no fanfare. In fact, I had to run to the parking lot to catch up to him so I could thank him one more time. Woody will always remain in my mind’s eye, a very nice man giving of himself and, in a very big way, giving back.
Joe Paterno and Woody Hayes are icons, whether you like them or not, they are part of the social history of our country.
Both Joe and Woody lived full lives, experiencing many incredible highs.
Both men had a profoundly positive impact on the lives of thousands of student athletes…on and off the field.
Perhaps the most wonderful thing about Joe Paterno and Woody Hayes is what they’ve done for others. JoePa and Woody gave more back to Penn State and Ohio State, respectively, than any of us will ever know…and that’s how they wanted it.
Why would I say that?
Because after all of the controversy and media attention goes away, after being stripped bare for all the world to see, both men continued to do good work for other!.
I’ve met both men and they were good men. Yes, they were fiery, and at times controversial, but they cared deeply for the institutions they represented and the players they coached, they are missed.
Coach Joe Paterno and Coach Woody Hayes
I certainly hope they’ve found peace because, for them, the game is over.
I’d love to hear what you think!
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One final cheer for two American icons who gave so much to so many for so long….
Rest in Peace
Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
The Ultimate Internet Image, LLC
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Here is a line that says it all:
