•HRES 276 EH
Whereas from 1996 to 2000 Joe Paterno nurtured 69 Aca-
demic All-Big Ten football honorees, more than any other
Big Ten Conference institution during that period;
Whereas according to the 2000 NCAA Graduation Rate Re-
port, the 4-year graduation rate of Joe Paterno’s Penn
State players was 76.5 percent, significantly above the 48
percent national average;
Whereas Joe Paterno and his wife Sue have continually dem-
onstrated their loyalty and commitment to Penn State
through volunteer efforts and contributions, including a
$3,500,000 gift—the most generous gift ever given to a
university by a coach and his family—for academic schol-
arships, faculty endowments, and campus construction
projects;
Whereas immediately following his first national champion-
ship in January of 1983, Joe Paterno bypassed the cus-
tomary acceptance speech and instead pressed the Uni-
versity’s Board of Trustees to make Penn State number
one in academics as well as athletics and began advo-
cating for the libraries of Penn State;
Whereas Joe and Sue Paterno subsequently served as Co-
Chairs of the Campaign for the Library which raised
$11,000,000 for an expansion effort that would double
the size of the existing library at Penn State’s University
Park campus;
Whereas the Paternos’ generosity and vision were recognized
by the vote of Penn State’s Board of Trustees to name
the new world-class library after the Paternos, and at the
dedication of the Paterno Library at Penn State’s Uni-
versity Park campus that occurred on September 8,
2000;
•HRES 276 EH
Whereas Joe Paterno has received countless awards for being
a role model and mentor for his players, a community
leader, and a humanitarian and philanthropist who exhib-
its and promotes the time-honored values of selflessness,
equality, dignity, educational achievement, and commu-
nity service;
Whereas Joe Paterno has accumulated all 324 of his coach-
ing wins at Penn State, where he is currently in his 52d
season as an assistant or head coach;
Whereas Joe Paterno has been on the coaching staff during
more than half of all the football games played at Penn
State since the football program began in 1887;
Whereas Joe Paterno’s coaching career has spanned 11
United States Presidential administrations;
Whereas Joe Paterno led Penn State to 2 national champion-
ships, in 1982 and 1986;
Whereas Joe Paterno led Penn State to 5 perfect seasons, in
1968, 1969, 1973, 1986, and 1994;
Whereas Joe Paterno has won 20 bowl games at Penn State,
an NCAA record;
Whereas Joe Paterno is the only coach to have won all 4 tra-
ditional New Year’s Day Bowl games—the Rose, Sugar,
Cotton, and Orange Bowls—as well as the Fiesta Bowl;
Whereas the American Football Coaches Association has
named Joe Paterno the Coach of the Year an unprece-
dented 4 times, in 1968, 1978, 1982, and 1986;
Whereas Joe Paterno has coached 55 first-team All-Ameri-
cans;
Whereas Joe and Sue Paterno are blessed with 5 children
and 9 grandchildren;
•HRES 276 EH
Whereas Joe Paterno’s traditional game-day attire of coat
and tie, rolled pantleg cuffs, white socks, and black foot-
ball shoes is recognized in sporting circles across the Na-
tion;
Whereas Joe Paterno is affectionately known as ‘‘JoePa’’ to
his extended Penn State family and to the rest of the
football world; and
Whereas Joe Paterno received a touching retrospective from
his high school mentor at the Brooklyn Preparatory
School, the late Father Thomas Bermingham, who said:
‘‘The Father gave me the sense that I was being handed
a treasure. Joe is a treasure.’’: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
SECTION. 1. JOSEPH VINCENT PATERNO.
The House of Representatives—
(1) praises Joseph Vincent Paterno for his steadfast
commitment to academics, service, and citizenship;
(2) congratulates Joseph Vincent Paterno for his
many coaching accomplishments, including his 324th ca-
reer coaching victory; and
(3) thanks Joseph Vincent Paterno for his contribu-
tions to college football, to the Commonwealth of Penn-
sylvania, and to the Nation.
•HRES 276 EH
SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL.
The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall trans-
mit a copy of this resolution to Joseph Vincent Paterno and
to the President of the Pennsylvania State University.
Attest:
Clerk.