Academics

Book shares insights from those who 'Know Joe'

More than a half dozen books have been written about legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, and the latest takes a slightly different approach by sharing stories from 38 colleagues, contemporaries, former players and friends.

“They Know Joe” was co-authored by Neil Rudel, a 1978 Penn State graduate with a degree in journalism who serves as managing editor of the Altoona Mirror and has covered Penn State football since 1977, and Cory Giger, the award-winning Penn State beat reporter for the Altoona Mirror who has covered the Nittany Lions since 2006.

The 144-page book includes forewords by President George H.W. Bush and former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden.

Chapters that follow relate insights and memories from former college football coaches (including Lou Holtz, Johnny Majors, Tom Osborne and Vince Dooley), media personalities (people such as Beano Cook and Chris Fowler), numerous former Nittany Lions players and several family members and friends.

Rudel and Giger conducted dozens of interviews for the book. They then crafted each chapter as a story about Paterno from a different person’s perspective.

From those different but unified pieces, an enjoyable, entertaining and readable book emerges.

The book may be purchased at paterno.altoonamirror.com online. It costs $14.99 in paperback and $34.99 in hard cover.
 

Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated January 9, 2015

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