The collegiate football world has lost one of its greatest legends as long-time Penn State Football Coach Joe Paterno died early on Sunday, January 22, 2012. The official cause of death is listed as complications of lung cancer, but could the truth be it was the loss of his football career?
The coach that won national championships and racked up over 400 wins during nearly 5 decades in State College, Pennsylvania, was fired from coaching this season embroiled in a controversy surrounding his knowledge of an abusive assistant coach on his team.
Without Penn State football in his future, Paterno withdrew. Announcing lung cancer in November, his health failed fast. Most will say it was the lung cancer, but the romantics will know otherwise.
Loving one’s job has been expressed may ways. Human capital managers always want employees that “live” for their jobs.
Consider the FedEx employee that had his ashes delivered to his funeral using the overnight service. Or the inventor of the Pringles canister that had his ashes interred in the popular cylinder.
Charles Schultz died on the same day the last of the Peanuts comic strips appeared in newspapers and Chet Huntley succumbed soon after leaving years on the NBC Nightly News. Longtime Detroit Mayor Coleman Young only survived his time after office a short time and even Andy Rooney could not survive more than a very short retirement before his life ended.
The sidelines of glorious maize and blue Michigan Stadium will never have Paterno pacing its sidelines in the annual game against the Wolverines but Michiganders will probably still see his spirit.
And the question will always be there – was it cancer or was it the lack of football that took Paterni’s life?.
Article series:
- Employee entitlements around the world
- Top 5 reasons for employee failure.
- Debunking the top 6 job search myths.
- Building your Human Capital library:
- The Servant Leader: How to Build a Creative Team, Develop Great Morale, and Improve Bottom-Line Performance
- The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
- The Ant and the Elephant: Leadership For the Self
- The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan: How to Take Charge, Build Your Team, and Get Immediate Results
Additional resources for you:
- Blog: The Anecdotal Leader, a leadership blog
- Book: Life’s Leadership Lessons 53 anecdotal leadership lessons. Paperback, e-book, Kindle.
- Diversity information: Cultural Bridges – free information about more than 20 cultures.
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