Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris played for Joe Paterno at Penn State from 1969-1971. Harris, who played for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks, ranks 12th on the schools all-time rushing list with 2,002 yards.
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?
"I had no previous image of Joe before I met him. I never heard of him while I was being recruited. When I finally met him, I guess I thought he was a pretty special guy. A guy who was sincere, cared about players, cared about education. I guess to my mother, it was also special that he was Italian."
2) What is your favorite JoePa story?
"I always tell people he is reason why the immaculate reception even happened. At practices, he was always on the sideline yelling, 'go to the ball, go to ball Harris!' He said it all the time. Back then, I didn't pay much attention to it, but it became a habit I developed when I went to the Steelers. Anytime Terry Bradshaw or any of the QB's threw ball I always went to the ball during practice every time. Then, during the AFC title game, that ball was thrown and I heard his voice in my head saying 'go to ball, go to the ball Harris.' And the rest is history."
3) What separates Paterno from other football coaches?
"Joe was more of an emotional coach. He was everywhere in practice and knew every phase of what was going on. He always focused on levels of our game that he didn't feel were up to par. He focused on being there and really pushing you to the limit. He was emotional and that was his style."
4) Critique his style -- coaching and fashion. What wardrobe advice would you give your former coach?
"He needs a lot of advice wardrobe style. I guess you have to start out at the beginning. Anything passed his underwear needs a suggestion. As a coach, he always strove to get the most out of his players and team. He kept driving you until got get to that point."
5) What impact has Paterno had on your life?
"When you are in college, you always look at an authority figure as someone who is always bothersome. You want to be more rebellious, you wonder if the rules are the right rules, you challenged everything in those days. But you find out later in life that Joe wasn't so dumb after all. Along with building a football player and a team, it was very important for him to build character and stress education. He did just that."
| |
|
