Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno will be honored inside stadium museum 14 years after statue came down

Penn State is entering year one under Matt Campbell. Penn State is seen as a potential playoff contender this year and will be looking to win its first title since 1986.

Now, Penn State is celebrating the coach who won that 1986 title, Joe Paterno, according to Josh Moyer of The News and Observer.

“PSU’s All-Sports Museum — inside the football stadium — will publicly unveil its new ‘Paterno Family Football Experience Room’ on Thursday morning. The permanent experience will be housed in a newly renovated room that will include ‘historic artifacts, interactive displays and multimedia storytelling’ on the history of Nittany Lions football,” Moyer wrote.

The room includes Paterno’s original desk and multiple artifacts from his time as the Penn State coach.

“Penn State Football’s history belongs to generations of student-athletes, coaches, staff and supporters who helped build this program,” athletic director Pat Kraft said in a written statement. “This room gives us an opportunity to preserve that history, present it thoughtfully and create an experience that connects the proud tradition of Penn State Football with its future.”

The room comes 14 years after Penn State removed Joe Pa’s statue. In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, Paterno was removed as the head coach. This led to a complicated relationship between the university and the Paterno family. The relationship has since improved. The university has also softened its stance on Paterno, honoring him in 2016, and his widow, Sue, appearing at a game in 2022.

Paterno began coaching at Penn State in 1950, and became the head coach in 1966. He went 409-136-3 as the head coach, winning the Big Ten three times and two national championships.

Paterno was dismissed from the university during the 2011 season. Just nine days later, it was announced that the former coach was diagnosed with lung cancer. He passed away on January 22, 2012, at the age of 85.

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