Getting into the playoffs is fun. Going down memory lane I recall Paterno just quoting this portion of Hamlet to the team "To be or Not to be.."
Might have been 2005 don't cite.
Shalom
Might have been 2005 don't cite.
Shalom
Anyone have any Paterno Pep talks or stories to share. Don't know why thought much of him today.
- Thread starter Mr. Potter
- Start date
I had some friends who played on the 1982 team. In November PSU played at Notre Dame in what was, in essence, game one of a three game playoff for the national championship. There was a lot of talk going into the game about how difficult it is to play at ND and a lot of talk in the national media about the upsets that had occurred in South Bend over the years.
Prior to the game, in the locker room, my friends said Joe gave the best pre-game speech they had ever heard. Paraphrasing, he said, the ND field is 100 yards long and 53 yards wide just like every other field, nothing special or unique about it; Knute Rockne is not going to score a TD, or block a kick or make a tackle; it is our guys against their guys and we are decisively better than them and we will beat them decisively; now let's go do it". It gave the players a ton of confidence. After the game this made its way into the media and a lot of ND fans took great offense to Joe's comments, though he didn't say anything disrespectful at all.
Prior to the game, in the locker room, my friends said Joe gave the best pre-game speech they had ever heard. Paraphrasing, he said, the ND field is 100 yards long and 53 yards wide just like every other field, nothing special or unique about it; Knute Rockne is not going to score a TD, or block a kick or make a tackle; it is our guys against their guys and we are decisively better than them and we will beat them decisively; now let's go do it". It gave the players a ton of confidence. After the game this made its way into the media and a lot of ND fans took great offense to Joe's comments, though he didn't say anything disrespectful at all.
Nothing inspirational to share but some friends and I did get personally yelled at by Joe when catching frisbee at the park at the end of McKee Street our senior year.
As it turns out the frisbee went in his yard a few times and he more or less yelled at us to "get off his lawn". May he RIP.
As it turns out the frisbee went in his yard a few times and he more or less yelled at us to "get off his lawn". May he RIP.
I may have parked in that little park and gone to class a few times....
I was at an alumni event in Chicago and got him to sign a football for my dad’s birthday. He did and then asked if I played football in HS and when I told him yes and where, he knew my HS coach. Was nice of him to make it personal. He also said when giving a fund raising speech that he wanted our money, but not our two cents.
Similar story. Walking around north of campus on November 1, 1981. Day after loss in Miami. Five into a leaf pile on McKee. Was scolded by Suepa taking leaves about 20 feet from me.
happy memory
Here's a really nice story I grabbed from another board that a poster shared this fall. It is not my story, I'm just reposting here.
In the fall of 1970, after having served my tour in Vietnam, I took advantage of the GI bill and returned to good old State. I was married to my high school sweetheart and at the time we had a 3 year-old daughter another one on our way. I had a math class that was kicking my *** and I was failing miserably at it. As I recall I was sitting on a bench contemplating how I was going to tell my wife that I was likely going too be flunking out of school and to prepare to uproot the family and re-locate. The look on my face must have said it all as this gentleman sat down beside me and asked what was going on. I told him everything. I told him about how I married just after HS and that my conscience got the best of me when many of my friends were being drafted and it looked like i was going to get a "pass" and sit this one out. That after talking with my wife i had decided to enlist in the Marines and then learning shortly afterwards that we'd be expecting our first child later that year. I told him about being at Hue and all the horrors that came with that. I told him that i didnt want to go home and explain to my wife how I had failed her and my family. I told him that even with the monies from the GI bill I still needed to work a full time job to make ends meet and that was taking away my time to study. He asked me the name of the course and who my prof was. When I told him what and who and response was " if you can survive the hell of Vietnam, you can certainly get through this math course". He pretty much told me to stop feeling sorry for myself and get my sorry *** back to that classroom. With much hesitation, I went back into that classroom 2 days later and to my surprise a tutor had been assigned to me by an "unknown source".
The man I had been speaking to on that bench all those years ago was none other than Joseph Vincent Paterno.
In the fall of 1970, after having served my tour in Vietnam, I took advantage of the GI bill and returned to good old State. I was married to my high school sweetheart and at the time we had a 3 year-old daughter another one on our way. I had a math class that was kicking my *** and I was failing miserably at it. As I recall I was sitting on a bench contemplating how I was going to tell my wife that I was likely going too be flunking out of school and to prepare to uproot the family and re-locate. The look on my face must have said it all as this gentleman sat down beside me and asked what was going on. I told him everything. I told him about how I married just after HS and that my conscience got the best of me when many of my friends were being drafted and it looked like i was going to get a "pass" and sit this one out. That after talking with my wife i had decided to enlist in the Marines and then learning shortly afterwards that we'd be expecting our first child later that year. I told him about being at Hue and all the horrors that came with that. I told him that i didnt want to go home and explain to my wife how I had failed her and my family. I told him that even with the monies from the GI bill I still needed to work a full time job to make ends meet and that was taking away my time to study. He asked me the name of the course and who my prof was. When I told him what and who and response was " if you can survive the hell of Vietnam, you can certainly get through this math course". He pretty much told me to stop feeling sorry for myself and get my sorry *** back to that classroom. With much hesitation, I went back into that classroom 2 days later and to my surprise a tutor had been assigned to me by an "unknown source".
The man I had been speaking to on that bench all those years ago was none other than Joseph Vincent Paterno.
I think his most inspirational talks weren't about football.
After the Michigan win in ‘94 my group stood waiting for the team to get to the buses. As Joe walked by I patted him on the chest and yelled, “Big win JoePa, big win!!!!”. He raised his arm and then started coughing like crazy. I thought I had killed him.
Can't remember which game, I think a pep rally against Auburn, He repeated his famous "take your trophy and shove it". Everyone screamed with delight.
have posted this before. Was 1970s likely 77 and me and friend still in high school had been sitting in corn field at edge of stadium, partaking of a particular intoxicating substance that now is legal some places. It was a beautiful fall day and sunny ad light wind and the corn swaying in wind was kind of hypnotic. So we get up and head off to the stadium, giggling like the fools we were. Come around a bend and run smack into the team getting ready to come out on the field. My friend literally hugging Joe and I ran into I think Bruce Clark who was gigantic and scary. Joe yells at my friend "get the hell out of here" and the players rag doll toss us both out of the way. The whole time we are just giggling fools...........I for one found this quite an inspirational Paterno speech..............