Editor's note: Rob Ruslavage grew up in western Pennsylvania and played for Coach Joe Paterno from 1988 to 1990. He graduated from Penn State with an engineering degree in 1991. He's married with two children and works as an elementary school educator.
Penn State University is not only my alma mater, but my father’s too. He played football for Coach Joe Paterno when JoePa was an still an assistant coach. I graduated from high school in 1987, I wanted to pursue an engineering degree at Penn State. I was also looking for an opportunity to play college football, but my size hampered my recruitment. Despite that, I made the team as a walk-on and played linebacker for Penn State for three seasons. I was also a teammate of Jay Paterno, JoePa's son. I was on the scout team, and I only ever played one play in one game, but during those years, many things amazed me about Coach Paterno.
One of those things was his ability to recall the names of all the players who had played for him in the past. Thirty years after my dad played for Penn State, JoePa would remind me of what my father was like as a player. In fact, years later, my father was in a car accident, and Coach Paterno mentioned my father in a press conference. He still remembered him even though -- at that time -- it had been 50 years since my dad had played at Penn State.
And it wasn't just former players who mattered. JoePa gave everyone his time if they asked for it. Once, a friend approached me with a request. He had a sick family member and said that an encouraging word from Coach Paterno would help. Weeks later, my friend let me know that Coach Paterno had sent a letter to my friend’s family member. The family was so grateful that he took the time to do that.
Penn State players talk about the values Coach Paterno taught them. My values come full circle with Coach Paterno's. They are the same values instilled in me by my father. Coach Paterno valued education, and while I was pursuing my engineering degree, he always made certain that his players attended class. His teams reflected his emphasis on education, and Penn State’s consistently high student-athlete graduation rate year after year reflected that. Ever since I graduated, I have hoped the coach who succeeds him at Penn State will value education as much as he did. He proved that you could still win on the football field with an emphasis on academics. Today, as a father, it's a value I am passing on to my children, and as an educator, I am passing it on my students.
Since my graduation I have lived in several states No matter where I go, when I mention that I played football at Penn State, people want to talk. His accomplishments have always been widely recognized, and I have always felt people gave me respect because the program was so highly regarded.
I was saddened by the news of Coach Paterno's passing. He will be missed by many. My thoughts and prayers go out to my former teammate Jay Paterno and his family.
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