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Clearfield-County.Com's Feature Story Joe “Pa”, the father of central Pennsylvania football has passed. A sad time for sure, no matter what opinion you might have formed of Penn State over the past few months. Joe Paterno was the face of Penn State football for 46 years, a tenure that will likely never be achieved again. His two philosophies of “Success With Honor” and “Make An Impact” were what he strived for until his death on January, 22 2012. As a native of Clearfield, I’ve been a Penn State fan all of my life. I can vividly remember as a ten year old boy watching the 1987 Fiesta Bowl at a friend’s house. I can remember celebrating when linebacker Pete Giftopoulos intercepted Vinny Testaverde’s pass near the end zone with only seconds left to ensure Penn State’s 14-10 victory and a National Championship. Eight years later in 1995, I got to see my first live game at Beaver Stadium. My boss at the time gave me his season tickets (on the 50 yard line) to see the Nittany Lions play the Indiana Hoosiers. I knew it wasn’t going to be the best of games, but I gladly took the tickets to experience Beaver Stadium first hand. I remember soaking in all of the pre-game activity and watching the team run onto the field. But it wasn’t any particular player that I focused my attention toward, it was Joe Pa. It wasn’t that the team had a lack of talent, as there were ten Nittany Lions picked in the NFL draft the following year. The reason I focused on him was that it was Joe Pa’s team. They all reflected him and looked to his guidance and philosophy on the football field and in the classroom. Penn State won the game 45-21 and it remains one of the best days I’ve had as a Penn State football fan. In 1996, I seriously considered attending Penn State, but ultimately decided to get out of my comfort zone and attend a small Georgia college. Nonetheless, Penn State would find me there. My future wife and her family had moved from State College to Lawrenceville, Georgia only months earlier. Her dad had taken a position at Georgia State University after working nine years at Penn State. Sometime after we began dating, her dad told me the story about nearly becoming the most hated man in Happy Valley. One night near dusk, he was driving home from his office on campus. Read more at Clearfield-County.Com Your Mobile Feature Links
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