There have been so many great things written about Joe Paterno this week following his passing and very few of them talked about the football coach. That in itself is truly amazing when you’re talking about the winningest coach in FBS history. This is a lengthy list but one I think that’s worth reading. His accomplishments over 61 years in Happy Valley will never be surpassed.

• Donated more than $4 million to Penn State, and funded the school’s library.
• College Football Hall of Fame – 2007
• Most Wins – 409
• Most Bowl Wins – 24
• National Championships – 2, 1982, 1986
• Undefeated Season – 5, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1986, 1994
• Big 10 Championships – 3, 1994, 2005, 2008
• Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year – 1986
• AFCA Coach of the Year – 5, 1968, 1978, 1982, 1986, 2005
• Walter Camp Coach of the Year – 3, 1972, 1994, 2005
• Big 10 Coach of the Year – 3, 1994, 2005, 2008
• George Munger Award – – 3, 1990, 1994, 2005
• Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year – 3, 1978, 1982, 1986
• Paul “Bear” Bryant Award – 1, 1986
• Amos Alonzo Stagg Award – 1, 2002
• The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award – 1, 2005
• Sporting News Coach of the Year Award – 1, 2005
• Most seasons as Head Coach at one university – 44
• Years on the Penn State staff – 62
• Beaver Stadium capacity in 1966 – 46,284
• Beaver Stadium capacity in 2012 – 106,572
• Winning Seasons – 38, one more than Bear Bryant.
• 1st Team All Americans – 79.
• National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes – 16
• First-team Capital One/CoSIDA All-Americans – 37
• NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners – 18
• 1^st Team Academic All-American – 13 since 2006.
• NFL Players – 350+
• NFL 1^st Round Draft Choices – 32
• U.S, Presidents during his PSU career – 13 starting with Harry Truman
• Since he became head coach in 1966, there have been 886 coaching changes at FBS schools.
• Head Coaching Record – 409-136-3
• Bowl Record – 24-12-1
• The only coach to win each of the four major bowls—Rose, Orange, Fiesta, and Sugar—as well as the Cotton Bowl Classic, at least once.
• Penn State won at least three bowl games each decade since 1970.
• Fiesta Bowl Wins – 6, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1991, and 1996
• Orange Bowl Wins –  4, 1968, 1969, 1973, and 2005
• Outback Bowl Wins – 3, 1995, 1998, 2006
• Cotton Bowl Wins – 2, 1972 and 1974
• Citrus Bowl Wins – 2, 1993 and 2010
• Alamo Bowl Wins – 2, 1999 and 2007
• Rose Bowl Wins – 1, 1994
• Sugar Bowl Wins – 1, 1982
• Liberty Bowl Wins – 1, 1979
• Aloha Bowl Wins – 1, 1983
• Holiday bowl Wins – 1, 1989

THE PATERNO TIME LINE TO 704 GAMES – 409 WINS

ASSISTANT COACH

• May 27, 1950 – Hired by Rip Engle to coach the quarterbacks.
• September 30, 1950 – 1^st game – Penn State defeated Georgetown, 34-14, before a crowd of 16,617 at New Beaver Field.
• October 29, 1960 – Game #100 Penn State 34 West Virginia 13.

HEAD COACH

• September 17, 1966 – Win #1. In front of a crowd of 40,911 inside Beaver Stadium a 15-7 win over Maryland. 
• January 1, 1969: Penn State 15, Kansas 14; first perfect season, 11-0
• September 26, 1970 – Game #200 Penn State lost to Colorado 41-23, snapping the Nittany Lions’ 31-game unbeaten streak.
• January 1, 1970: Penn State 10, Missouri 3; second perfect season, 11-0
• January 1, 1974: Penn State 16, LSU 9; third perfect season, 12-0
• November. 6, 1976: WIN #100, Penn State 41, N.C. State 20
• October 21, 1978 – Game #300. Penn State 45-15 Syracuse 15.
• January 1, 1983 – Penn State won its first National Championship defeating No. 1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. 
• November 22, 1986 – Game #400 Penn State 34 Pittsburgh 14.
• January 2, 1987 – The Nittany Lions claimed their second National Championship with a 14-10 upset of then No. 1 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.
• September. 5, 1987: WIN #200 – Penn State 45, Bowling Green 19
• January. 2, 1995: Penn State 38, Oregon 20; fifth perfect season, 12-0
• September 23, 1995 – Game #500 Penn State defeated Rutgers in Giants Stadium, 59-34.
• September. 12, 1998: WIN #300 – Penn State 48, Bowling Green 3
• October 27, 2001 – WIN #324. In one of the greatest Penn State comebacks in Beaver Stadium history, the Nittany Lions rallied from a 27-9 deficit to defeat rival Ohio State  The win moved Coach Paterno past Alabama’s Paul “Bear” Bryant into the all-time victories lead in Division I college football history.
• September 27, 2003 – Game #600 Penn State was upset 20-14 by Minnesota.
• November 6, 2010 – WIN #400 at Beaver Stadium. Wins 100, 200, 300, 324 and 400 and 409 were all played at Beaver Stadium.  The game was the biggest comeback in Beaver Stadium history under Joe.  Penn State scored 35 unanswered points to overcome a 21-0 deficit to beat Northwestern 35-21. 
• October 1, 2011 – Game #700 Penn State beat Indiana 16-10 in Bloomington.
• October 29, 2011 – Win #409 Penn State beat Illinois 10-7 at Beaver Stadium. This would be the final game and final win for Coach Paterno. This was also Game #704.