Fourteen years after his statue was removed from Beaver Stadium in the aftermath of the worst scandal in the history of college sports, Penn State University will honor former head coach Joe Paterno with an exhibit bearing his name.
On September 3, Penn State will unveil the Paterno Family Football Experience Room at Beaver Stadium.
The initiative marks the first major effort by the university to honor the former coach since his firing during the 2011 season, after revelations that university officials buried child sex abuse allegations against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
Paterno’s contract was terminated on November 9, 2011, 61 years after he first arrived on campus in 1950, and 45 years after he took over the football program in 1966.
A mere 74 days later, on January 22, 2012, Paterno passed away at the age of 85 due to complications from lung cancer.
How, or even whether, to memorialize the head coach who turned Penn State into a perennial national powerhouse has remained a contentious topic in Happy Valley ever since.
As the New York Post reports, “In 2024, a former trustee brought up the idea to name the field at Beaver Stadium after Paterno but then withdrew it. The following year, the university sold the naming rights to a Pennsylvania-based company, West Shore Home.”
A happy medium seems to have been found with the stadium exhibit, which will feature Paterno’s “original office desk and workspace,” along with other “personal artifacts.”
“Penn State’s Football’s history belongs to generations of student-athletes, coaches, staff and supporters who helped build this program,” Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft said in a statement. “This room gives us an opportunity to preserve that history, present it thoughtfully and create an experience that connects the proud tradition of Penn State Football with its future.”
Whether everyone is happy with the exhibit remains to be seen.
Some on social media seem less than happy with honoring Paterno.
“Dude coved up child sex abuse, shame on Penn State,” one user wrote.
“One of the most complicated legacies in college football,” wrote another.
Paterno was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.