Joe Paterno

In his almost 46 years as Penn State University’s head football coach, Joe Paterno, who died at 85 of lung cancer on Jan. 22, led his team to two national championships and five undefeated seasons. His players bucked the college-jock stereotype and consistently earned diplomas. Paterno was supposed to leave the sidelines on his terms and be properly feted as one of the best the game has ever seen. But he never got his grand send-off. Instead, just days after winning his 409th game–the most of any head coach in Division I college-football history–his career ended under a dark, unfathomable cloud. A little more than two months later, his life ended as well.

Paterno was fired in November, partly because he failed to report to police the allegations of child sexual abuse made against his former longtime defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. For Paterno, the scandal was a crushing final chapter to a celebrated life that left a lasting mark on Penn State and all of college sports. JoePa and his family donated over $4 million to Penn State for faculty positions and an interfaith spiritual center. In his rolled-up pants, white socks and trademark rimmed glasses that were thicker than stained-glass windows, Paterno built a down-home football Camelot. But he died a tragic figure.