I know they struggled to beat some really bad teams that year and they didn’t have a decent starting QB. I also know they lost to every ranked team they played. They weren’t winning a natty.
Not hard to see Campbell is bulking up in the trenches like many have wanted for years...
- Thread starter Bwifan
- Start date
was JVP the coach when they lost any games other than Alabama ? that's all I need to know
Yeah, what football coach would not say this? But you need to set goals.
C’mon man. You sound like MacNit now. You watched those games the same as I did. Please, tell me which game prior JVP getting fired impressed you to the point of thinking a natty was even remotely possible? And JVP was the HC for the Alabama offensive disaster. Be realistic here. They weren’t that good of a team.
Two NC’s…I’m not sure you would call that multiple. And how did he do after joining the Big Ten? Let’s at least keep the discussion somewhat relevant to today’s situation.
And no NC’s…doesn’t that mean he lost too many “big games”? Had he won the big games, he would have won NC’s…see how this works?
Didn’t those 51 wins occur while playing in the same crappy conference James Franklin coached in? You know, the conference where James only won games because his opponents were weak?
No chance at a natty in 2005 even if they had won that game…they weren’t jumping Texas or USC.
Look at the totality of his record. The very best.
Compared to Franklin. You must be joking. You do realize that fans of that schools laughed at Franklin.
Fans of other schools hold Paterno in the highest regard. Why? Because when the stakes where at the highest, Paterno coached teams were at their very best.
Franklin? Well he heat Potato State!
“National Championships” were not decided on field in Paterno’s career. If they were, he would have had many more.
You didn't hurt my feelings at all. They should have thrown him out for not actively recruiting and admitting it to be honest, never mind the losing seasons. He was too big to visit recruits and said so. He would cause a "distraction". I remember people online getting excited when he zoomed with Pryor....it was his job. He didn't even deal with emails......the game had zoomed on by him in terms of modern day recruiting. If the goal was MNC's, he was losing, not recruiting, and not winning very many big games. He would have been fired...he was the last of the we'll let him stay because of what he did a decade prior coaches....those days are gone outside of Iowa I guess. Saying he stayed too long isn't even a hot take to be blunt. You call me out the next time you see a coach with 4 losing seasons in 5 years keeps his job, how about that?
I get it,,,,,he's an idol to you so you have little objectivity which is fine. He stayed too long and the next HC's begging for resources and upgrades showed how far PSU had fallen behind.....and still are. Imagine had he been aggressive and kept up with the Jones'? Listen old men who still have idols is your thing, sorry and I hope I didn't distract you from kissing that altar.
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Maybe, maybe not. There’s a reason he didn’t get NC’s when he was undefeated…the schedules were viewed as weak…you know, he was beating Potato State.
That is unfortunately true. He’s not respected at all, and it’s a shame.
If I have learned anything in my 73 years on this planet it’s that people who claim they forgot more than someone with whom they disagree will ever know is that the person making the claim is more full of s**t than a Thanksgiving Turkey.
Calling someone "Skippy' is always a dead giveaway of the type of individual you're dealing with
how could he go over Kraft's head when he answered to the President and not the AD. like all the other power 5 head coaches?
Of course not! Why would Kraft state that publicly? But according to insiders over the last several months, that is what happened. The summer went so poorly that supposedly Kraft basically made the decision prior to the season that he would terminate James after the 2025 season. He did so poorly during those first 6 games he had to be fired midseason. It was obvious to all of us he and the team were distracted and unfocused from the start of 2025, even vs awful teams.
That’s just not true. The head coach reports to the Athletic Director. Kraft himself spoke extensively about his decision process and firing Franklin. The PSU org references place football operations directly under the Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics.
No football coach of any weight especially a Jimmy Sexton client reports to the AD. They don’t at Marshall they don’t at PSU
No he didn’t. The prez just sent him out to do her dirty work
I do all the time…attending games, talking with folks…all around the country.
Laughable. Penn State not only had the best big game record…they did so playing a brutal schedule…for example: Bama, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Miami/Fla, Texas, Oklahoma…blue bloods all at the peak of their powers. And don’t forget Pitt who for a good decade in the middle of Paterno's years put as many or more players (NFL Hall of Famers) into the NFL as anyone. And even a few clashes with O$U - where we thrashed them on the road and in a Big Bowl game.
Do you follow Penn State football? Or are you just some shill for BGJ?
Paterno had the vision for the Grand Experiment and thought football players were more than dumb jocks and he proved that it was true. The college football world at the time led by the Barry Switzers, Woody Hayes Bear Bryant, etc didn't like or care that he was stressing academics and showing you could win and have smart football players who went on to be leaders in their communities and professions.
A guy with a nasal NY accent who went to Brown and majored in English Literature? Not letting this guy take over college football. Guess what? He did any way. His run from the mid 70s through the 80's was epic. That doesn't include all his undefeated seasons where he got screwed out of national championships by imbeciles like Richard Nixon and pure jealousy in the hearts of many.
Not true. And we can all play that game. The conferences in the old days were a joke with usually two teams worth **** in their respective conferences. Scum and osu played thee game because that was their only competition all year. Same for Oklahoma and Nebraska.
And Penn State backed it up their resume in bowl games. I lived through Joe's tenure as coach. These fans on Internet message boards can say what they want. Go watch Penn State bowl games on YouTube and listen to the announcers declare joe was the best and most feared coach in the game especially with time to prepare.
I loved Paterno and think he’s the greatest, but there’s no denying that back in the 1960s and 1970s our schedules were considered laughably easy and eastern football was considered to be a level or two below much of the rest of the country.
Kraft didn't accurately read the room. There is a segment of the fanbase that is entitled and delusional. He played to them. Acting like PSU belongs at the very top of the conference with OSU, Oregon, and UM.....and we cannot ignore Indiana and USC....is a bit silly.
His BS speech should have been very brief and professional. "The recent on field results have made it necessary to make a change in leadership of our football program. We will engage in a national search to find the candidate that is the perfect fit for Penn State. Period!
Only Michigan has beaten OSU more than once in conference over the past decade.
Minus 24 that he coached last year, They aren't new. They played for this staff last year.
Brought 13 players from JMU and won 11 in his first year? Prior seasons at Indy 2-10, 4-8, 3-9.
No excuses, none. Excellence at the highest level is the standard. The weakest schedule in memory and 10 wins should be the minimum.
Rebuild was a term used under the old style of college football. Who do you rebuild around? No coach has reasonable expectations to keep key players year to year. In addition, to prove this is merely an excuse for possible mediocre results in 26, if there were such a thing as a rebuild coach would have kept Grunkemeyer with 3 more seasons (possible). Instead of paying premium bucks to retain a 5th year post surgery quarterback .
PSU IS what it has been since it entered the Big 10. Going back 50 years to find glory is silly. In 86 those defenders played the game of their lives and 96 should have at least been co national champs. That's it for 40 years.