Current Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Kyle Brady was an All-American at Penn State, where he played from 1991-1994. A native Pennsylvanian, Brady's 77 career receptions rank second behind Hall of Famer Ted Kwalick as the most receptions by a Nittany Lions tight end.
1) What were your first impressions of Joe Paterno? How was the man who recruited you different from the image/idea you previously had of him?
"My first impressions of him were in high school. Going to high school in Pennsylvania, everybody knows Joe Paterno. He is an icon in that state, and a lot of the country. The glasses caught my eye -- the Coke bottle glasses were interesting. Other than that I was surprised at how personable he was. We went to State College, Pa., for a high school championship game my junior year in high school and we practiced at their facility. He came over and talked to our coaches and was very personable and down to earth. Growing up, watching Penn State play games, you have an image of this hard, driving disciplinarian who is always fiery and screaming at someone on the sidelines, either his players or the refs. When you meet him in a recruiting situation, you see a different side to him."
2) What is your favorite JoePa story?
"In my third season at Penn State, we had a pretty disappointing season. We went 7-4, which was disappointing with the amount of talent we had that year. We should have been at least 9-2. One day he came into a squad meeting and he said in his typical Brooklyn Joe Paterno voice, 'I have been struggling to figure out what is around here that is causing us to not win the big games. I got a call this past Saturday night from the local police department and I understand you go downtown and have a beer or two to relax or go to someone's house and have a beer, but hey told me they broke up one of your parties downtown and you guys had kegs of beer. What do you need kegs of beer for?' He was shocked that this is what was holding us back in these big games. I thought that was a pretty funny story of his. He had it all figured out that the beer was the problem."
3) What separates Paterno from other football coaches?
Actually, he is similar to a lot of coaches who I have had in his approach to discipline. The focus on team unity at the expense of individual attention is the same that I have experienced in high school and the pros. The thing that he harped on more than anything was that it was all about team -- from the uniform on. It was all about winning and not caring about who got the credit."
4) Critique his style -- coaching and fashion. What wardrobe advice would you give your former coach?
"I definitely saw him wear some interesting outfits. They weren't too bad, though. The khaki pants, blue shirt with a decent tie. I saw some pictures, especially one where he had whale pants on -- pants with little whales all over them. You can try to advise him on how his pants are rolled up, but that has become a classic. You can't complain about that."
5) What impact has Paterno had on your life?
No response
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