Rick Neuheisel’s memorable duet with Joe Paterno
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The Jerry Sandusky scandal left Penn State Coach Joe Paterno’s legacy muddled. But there are men who have memories of Paterno from before the last four months.
A year ago, former UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel reminisced about his first meeting with Paterno in the 1990s, when the two were at a gathering of coaches sponsored by Nike.
“He told me to get him a bourbon,” said Neuheisel, who was Colorado’s coach at the time. “I was his [graduate assistant], so to speak. I was the new head coach in the deal.
PHOTOS: Joseph Paterno 1926 - 2012
‘He said that I was ruining college football because I had just taken my team skiing. He wanted to know ‘what the hell the rest of us are supposed to do with our teams.’ He told me I had better call and ask to get permission before I did that again.”
The two became friends and, later on that trip, Neuheisel had Paterno try one of Neuheisel’s newfangled ways.
“I had a guitar in my hand and I got him up there with me to sing ‘Wild Thing,’ ” Neuheisel said. “He didn’t know a lot of the words, but was effervescent with his rendition.”
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-- Chris Foster
