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No really -- Penn State honors Joe Paterno's 50th anniversary
ESPNPenn State fans cheer, protesters turn backs during Joe Paterno tribute
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Paterno's first game as head coach -- a 15-7 win over Maryland on Sept. 17, 1966 -- Penn State decided to honor the longtime coach with several videos "on the impact to student-athletes" and by having two co-captains from his first team participate in the coin toss before Saturday's game against Temple.
The first video aired during a break early in the second quarter.
Outside Happy Valley, the university's decision to recognize Paterno sparked widespread debate. Paterno was fired in 2011 amid the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, and he remains a controversial figure nationwide.
At Penn State, however, Paterno is still revered. Outside Beaver Stadium, at the former site of his bronze statue -- which was torn down in the summer of 2012 -- fans placed knickknacks like balloons and posters in memory of the coach, who died in January 2012 at age 85.
