The Grand Experiment of Joe Paterno

Open Access
- Author:
- Ciarrocchi, Stephen Rocco
- Area of Honors:
- Finance
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Dr. Robert Alexander Novack, Thesis Supervisor
James Alan Miles, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Joe Paterno
The Grand Experiment
Penn State Football - Abstract:
- This thesis centers around the central idea of the forty-six years of Joe Paterno’s head coaching career at Penn State: The Grand Experiment. Paterno believed that a school could have quality academics and quality athletics without sacrificing one for the other, and also teach young men the skills necessary to succeed in life. The study goes into the history of Joe Paterno and why he believed in The Grand Experiment. The Grand Experiment was the culmination of Joe Paterno’s upbringing, and by understanding his history, only then can one truly understand what The Grand Experiment meant to him and why it was so important to be a success. This study also looks at a comparison of Penn State football to Alabama, Ohio State, and Northwestern football, using metrics such as wins, bowl wins, national championships, graduation rates, Academic Progress Rates, and All-Americans to show the success of Penn State football relative to these other programs. This study also plans on using stories regarding how Joe Paterno helped shape the lives of the young men that came through the program. These stories will help to show the third, often forgotten, side of The Grand Experiment, which is that Joe Paterno cared more about preparing his players, not for the National Football League, but for life.