Penn Hands Paterno 300th Win

Joe Paterno tried his best to make sure this week was just like any other in the 33 seasons he's been the coach at Penn State. Nothing special, just a victory.

But even the low-key Paterno was in a party mood after No. 9 Penn State routed Bowling Green 48-3 on Saturday and gave JoePa his 300th victory.

Cordell Mitchell ran 77 yards for a touchdown on Penn State's first play, Bruce Branch followed 83 seconds later with a 73-yard punt return for a score and the Nittany Lions coasted.

Penn State (2-0) also scored on interception returns of 16 yards by LaVar Arrington and 30 yards by Joe Dawkins, and Mitchell finished with 104 yards and two TDs in Paterno's milestone victory.

With one rousing victory before a crowd of 96,291 at Beaver Stadium, the 71-year-old Paterno found himself in the most elite group of college coaches. He became the sixth in NCAA history -- and just the fourth major-college coach -- to reach 300 victories, joining Bear Bryant (323), Pop Warner (319) and Amos Alonzo Stagg (314).

Eddie Robinson, who retired from Grambling last season, has the NCAA record of 408 and John Gagliardi of St. John's, Minn., had 342 before Saturday's opener against Bethel.

Paterno earned a few distinctions of his own. He is the first major-college coach to win 300 games at one school, and he also reached 300 quicker than anyone else -- 380 games.

The celebration began with just over a minute left, when several players dumped a cooler of water over Paterno's head. The coach smiled, walked away and began shaking hand with players and coaches. When the game ended, he rode the shoulders of his players to the center of the field, where Bowling Green coach Gary Blackney shook his hand.

It was just another day on the sidelines for Joe Paterno. For the rest of the nation, it was history. (AP)

Paterno was clearly moved by the moment.

"So many people come to mind, so many great athletes, coaches and administrators, the good ones and the bad ones," Paterno said as the crowd chanted "Joe Paterno!"

"I'm really too choked up right now," he added.

During the week, Paterno downplayed the significance of No. 300, publicly saying all he wanted to do was get his team ready to play the Falcons (0-2).

"I hope there isn't a lot of hype about it," Paterno said time and time again. A few weeks ago, he even asked an aide why there was so much media interest in the Bowling Green game.

Make no mistake, though, Paterno knows what's happening. And his former players are well aware of the Paterno approach. On this reunion weekend of Paterno's 1973 undefeated team, Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti probably had the best take on his former coach.

"I think it's another game to him, but he understands the exposure it gives to the university, how it helps recruiting," Cappelletti said during a pre-game party for the '73 team just outside the stadium. "After the game he'll go with the flow, and then he'll try for the next guy on the list. You know Joe."

That next guy would be Bryant. The way Paterno is going -- he says he'll stick around at least four more years -- he'll pass Bryant sometime during the 2000 season.

Numbers alone don't do him justice. Paterno has a genuine love for the game and possesses as much enthusiasm as any player celebrating a game-winning touchdown. But he works his players hard. Some handle it, others don't.

"In today's kinder and gentler society, you can't be as tough on the kids," Cappelletti said, "but he's a pretty good taskmaster. He drove us hard, because he always tried to get the best out of you."

But there's much more. There's the college Joe, the caring coach who takes a personal interest in his players and doesn't break NCAA rules. There's concerned Joe, who has called for a college football playoff and for players to receive a stipend. And there's generous Joe, who gave Penn State $3.5 million to endow faculty positions and scholarships.

Let's not forget corporate Joe, who starred in a Burger King commercial, pitches local products such as Milano Italian bread and has an ice cream flavor named after him -- Peachy Paterno. Or celebrity Joe, who has attended state dinners undepresidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton.

During the week, Paterno reminisced about his head coaching career, which began in 1966 after 16 seasons as an assistant to Rip Engle. He said Nebraska's Tom Osborne and Notre Dame's Lou Holtz were the toughest coaches to go against, and singled out victories over Miami in 1967, his second season as coach, and Georgia in the 1973 Sugar Bowl as standout games.

The 27-23 victory over the Bulldogs and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker gave the Lions the first of their two national titles. The win over Miami came a week after a 23-22 loss to Navy that had him questioning whether he should have gone to law school instead of into coaching.

On a sun-splashed day in Happy Valley, it was business as usual on the field. The Lions dominated, piling up 432 yards and holding Bowling Green to 239. The Falcons trailed 34-3 at the half after Jason Strasser kicked a 43-yard field goal late in the second period.

Paterno's record improved to 300-77-3. Indeed, his .793 winning percentage is amazing , but consider this: Paterno has accounted for 41.9 percent of Penn State's 716 victories since the Lions began playing football in 1887.

Under Paterno, the Lions have produced five perfect seasons, 12 seasons of 11 or more victories and 18 bowl victories, the most by one coach.

"He is truly a great legend," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said this week. "He will be remembered not only for the great teams and players he has coached, but also for being a great ambassador for college football."

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