A pair of longtime members of the Penn State Football family, who helped the Nittany Lions win two national championships, have retired. Jim Williams and Joe Sarra have a combined 49 years as members of the Nittany Lions' coaching and administrative staffs. Williams, a former Penn State player, recently completed his 28th season with the Nittany Lions. He joined the Penn State staff in 1977 as an assistant coach with the defense. He left the coaching staff after 16 years in 1993 to become an administrative assistant for the program.Sarra has been a member of the Penn State football staff for 21 seasons. He joined the Nittany Lions in 1984 as an assistant coach with the defense. After 16 years on the coaching staff, Sarra was named as administrative assistant before the 2000 season.
Sarra and Williams were members of the defensive coaching staff in 1986, helping form a unit that did not allow more than 19 points to an opponent all season. The '86 campaign was capped by the Nittany Lions' 14-10 win over Miami in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl to clinch a 12-0 season and Penn State's second national championship in four years.
Williams spent 12 seasons as an administrative assistant following 16 years as a coach. Among his responsibilities were: pre-season arrangements, game-day operations, office management, liaison with high schools and professional sports teams and bowl game preparations. Williams coached some of Penn State's most accomplished defensive players. In addition, Williams played center and linebacker at Penn State under Coach Rip Engle. Among his teammates were current Penn State assistant coaches Dick Anderson and Galen Hall. Williams earned a degree in business administration in 1963 and soon began his 29-year coaching career as an assistant coach at Bellefonte Area High School from 1964-68. Williams then was given the opportunity to revitalize the State College Area High School program in 1969. In eight seasons at State College, his teams compiled a 65-13 record. Williams' coaching talents also were recognized by his peers. He was an assistant coach in the annual Big 33 game in 1973 and served as the head coach of the 1974 Big 33 team. In 1996, Williams was inducted into the Pennsylvania High School Coaches Hall of Fame for his many contributions as a prep coach.
Sarra spent five seasons as an administrative assistant following 16 years as a coach. Among his areas of concentration have been: sports camps, dealings with sports agents and professional teams, serving as a liaison with the State College Quarterback Club, speaking requests for players and coaches, facilities management and athletic fund-raising. Sarra coached inside linebackers and then the defensive line during his final six seasons on the Penn State staff. A 1960 graduate of Pennsylvania's California State with a degree in social studies education and guidance, he received a master's in secondary administration and counseling from West Virginia in 1964. Sarra was an assistant coach at Hempfield and Belle Vernon Area high schools in Pennsylvania before serving as head coach at Southern Columbia and East Washington high schools. Sarra moved into the college coaching ranks as head freshman coach at Miami (Ohio) and was the defensive coordinator for seven years and offensive coordinator for five seasons at Lafayette College. He then joined the staff of The Second Mile, a State College-based organization concerned with the welfare of young people, founded by Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State player and defensive coordinator. Sarra joined the Penn State coaching staff in 1984. Immediately following the career-ending injury to Penn State cornerback Adam Taliaferro in September 2000, Sarra was appointed by Joe Paterno to serve as a liaison between the Taliaferro family and Penn State. In 1992, the Awards and Honors Committee of the California Alumni Association selected Sarra as the recipient of the Michael Duda Athletic Medallion.