Penn State trustee Anthony Lubrano first ran for a spot on the board almost a dozen years ago because he was “outraged by the firing of Joe Paterno,” per his position statement for the most recent election.
At Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting, Lubrano introduced a resolution to honor the legendary Penn State coach by naming Beaver Stadium after him, per Sports Illustrated’s Mark Wogenrich.
The resolution also asked that Penn State honor both Joe and his widow, Sue Paterno, at some point this fall.
But another trustee issued a statement in which he “humbly asks the resolution be held for a later date.” Said trustee was none other than Jay Paterno, Joe’s son who played and coached under his father at Penn State. Lubrano decided to withdraw the resolution and requested to have the right to reintroduce it later. Another trustee, Brandon Short, was a consensus All-American linebacker for Paterno in the late 90s. Short said that he was in favor of the resolution, as well as honoring Joe and Sue and “doing everything we can to honor their name,” but he didn’t support “continued political stunts in Joe Paterno’s name.”
Short was unhappy that Lubrano proposed the resolution and then withdrew it
“To put out a resolution, to say all this, and then pull it back is insulting to me personally,” Short said. “It was not necessary.”
Spotlight PA initially reported that Penn State’s board and University officials met twice last month to talk about honoring Paterno. The report said PSU officials were “hesitant” to name the field after the legendary coach.
Many feel Paterno is the greatest coach in college football history. He ended his career with a Division I record of 409 wins, a record that will likely last forever. But because of the way his career ended– a firing as a result of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal– the idea of Penn State honoring him is a hotly debated one.
