If the memory of Allentown, Pennsylvania is any indication, in about 30 years, the name of Joe Paterno might return to Beaver Stadium cleansed by time. Back in the 1940's, Allentown was the powerhouse of high school sports. Its football team compiled a record of 60-3-3. In basketball, between 1945-1947 they won 60 straight games, and both sports were coached by one man, J. Birney Crum. Over 20,000 fans would pack the Friday night football blowouts. Allentown set out to build the biggest, most elaborate high school football stadium in Pennsylvania. However, when the stadium was completed in 1948, Allentown High School was under suspension by the PIAA, for using 21 and 22 year old ringers on its basketball and football teams. Information about this unfortunate misunderstanding is now hard to come by. Birney Crum's image has been completely restored. In 1982, they renamed the stadium after him. From the current school district website: Crum was much more than a demanding, hard-driving coach. He was also a soft, kind-hearted man who took care of the people in his AHS program. Crum recruited boys to go back to high school to finish their education. It doesn't mention that he recruited them back to play football and basketball again, until he got caught. Time is kind to former coaches. Birney even married one of the former cheerleaders, after she graduated. Expect to see Joe Paterno's statue back in 2042.
Forrest Gump card courtesy of Bob Lemke
reprinted from September of 2012
One reason Allentown High was so dominant into the 1950's was that it was one of the largest public high schools in the state, with almost 3,000 students. Other towns of lesser population had two public high schools, while Allentown didn't open Dieruff until 1959. With the junior high schools having varsity sports as well, the coaches at Allentown High were fed student athletes already coached in the fundamentals of the sport with game time experience. It was quite rare for a "walk in" to make the varsity squad, unless one was an experienced transfer student.
ReplyDeleteMy father told me of Coach Crum recruiting a top self football player from Hokendauqua back in the day
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ReplyDeleteWhat was done to paterno was a sin! If it wasn’t for him that college would still be a farming college. He made that college what it is today and that should be recognized, not to take away for that sadness that occurred there but they used him as a scape goat to save the schools image. Hopefully you are right and time will remedy the wrongs that have occurred there as it has with ahs’s stadium.
ReplyDeleteTasha, although I believe that time will improve Paterno's image, I do not agree that he was wronged. I say this not to debate, but to clarify my opinion. I believe that he was a winning coach, who was reluctant to change any part of his winning streak, including assistance coaches.
ReplyDeleteI attended A-Town 'government schools' - graduated from Dieruff - what a lame school. Lehigh was better. Got an MS in Comp Sci from Penn State (1971).
ReplyDeleteIMO all this sports 'stuff' is CRAP. No tax dollars should go towards this endeavor. I have observed Penn State (State College) being transformed into a 'Ra Ra' party school. The school week ends Wednesday at 4:00.
Joe Paterno stayed way too long. He had enemies, and they got him with Sandusky. There should be no statue for Paterno, or any other athletic people. How about statues for academic achievers such as scientists, writers, etc.
The Paterno-Sandusky thing is complicated. Sandusky WAS NOT COACHING the last few years, but, Paterno let him have all the access privileges, which Sandusky exploited to abuse kids. The money Sandusky raised for the charity he fronted for youths and the Penna. GOP made him "untouchable" by Penna. GOP politicians. Once the party structure in Harrisburg changed, Sandusky lost his political protection and Democratic ATTy.Generals went after him. Meanwhile, top Penn State officials, including Paterno, were more concerned with the image & football program/revenue than doing the right thing. Same thing with Catholic Church abuse scandals, orthodox Jewish abuse scandals in NYC & DC. Powerful institutions believe the "good" they do warrants a pass from the actions of a "few bad apples" and fear the adverse PR hit is worse for all than any specific individual's grief from being abused.
ReplyDeleteTrent, Joe Paterno did not give Sandusky any access privileges. Sandusky stopped coaching and it was PSU leaders who gave Sandusky privileges all over the campus. Not Joe Paterno.
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