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Penn State's Terry Smith Honors Joe Paterno During Game vs. Nebraska

Smith honored the late Penn State head coach by wearing a button commemorating Paterno's 409 career victories.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith walks on the field prior to the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith walks on the field prior to the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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STATE COLLEGE | Terry Smith, Penn State's interim football coach, wore a very personal button on his jacket during the Nittany Lions' 37-10 win over Nebraska, one that resonated with a sizable contingent of the fan base. The button featured the word "Joe" and the number 409, both references to late Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, for whom Smith played in the late 1980s.

"I’ve always acknowledged Joe Paterno," Smith said after the game. "I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t coached me and taught me."

Smith was the only Penn State coach to wear the button on the sideline for the game, which also featured a Penn State letterman on the other sideline. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule was a walk-on linebacker at Penn State and during the week discussed the impact Paterno had on him as a player and coach.

Smith, who became Penn State's interim head coach when James Franklin was fired Oct. 12, was a three-year starting wide receiver and captain for Paterno from 1989-91. He returned to Penn State as an assistant coach in 2014, when he joined Franklin's first staff. Smith is the only remaining coach from that staff and the longest-tenured football coach currently at Penn State.

Since becoming the interim head coach, Smith has been open about his affection for the program and the university. He has discussed Paterno openly as well, something that hasn't happened often around Penn State football for the past decade. Paterno died in 2012.

"We had a lot of lettermen here tonight in valuable positions," Smith said. "[Former Penn State quarterback] Michael Robinson is on the NBC crew. There are other lettermen all over. It showed today. [The button] was just an acknowledgement that I’m proud I’ve been taught by one of the greatest that ever did it."

Paterno won 409 games during his 46-year head-coaching career at Penn State, a record that stands as the most in FBS history. Paterno won his last game Oct. 29, 2011, against Illinois. He was fired 11 days later after former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was indicted on charges of child sexual abuse.

In July 2012, the NCAA sanctioned Penn State's football program with scholarship reductions, a four-year bowl ban and a $60 million fine. The NCAA also vacated Paterno's wins from 1998-2011. As part of a lawsuit settlement in 2015, the NCAA restored the vacated wins, making Paterno the winningest coach in FBS history again.

On the Penn State Coaches Show last week, a fan thanked Smith for publicly discussing Paterno. "He was a major part of my life, and I can't forget all the lessons I learned from him," Smith during his appearance on the radio show.

Smith has been emotional about what Penn State has meant to him, breaking down in tears during a press conference before the Nebraska when discussing his ties to the university.

"I'm just so blessed," he said. "God has been so good to me through everything in my life. I have the opportunity to be the head coach at Penn State. I don't think anything has made me or my family happier than this opportunity. I'm thankful for all my friends, my family, my supporters.

"... This place is special. It's amazing. I just want to give back to it. I just want to make sure I'm holding my end up of the bargain and putting out a team that everyone can be proud of."

Penn State players said after the game Saturday that Smith did not mention the button to them, and many didn't see it. Center and captain Nick Dawkins understood its meaning, though.

"[Smith] played for coach Paterno, and it’s Penn State," Dawkins said. "We all know who Joe Paterno is and what he’s done."

After the game, players held up signs that read "Hire Terry Smith," and fans cheered Smith's name during the fourth quarter. Smith has said that he wants to become Penn State's permanent head coach, though as of last week he had not been interviewed for the position.

"It made me cry," Penn State receiver Trebor Pena said of the fans' reaction to Smith after the game. "I feel like that’s so special for him. He’s a Penn State guy. To hear that, I couldn’t imagine the emotion going through his head."

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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