JoePa Again the Winningest Coach Under NCAA Deal

By Alison Smith:

Joe Paterno is again the winningest NCAA football coach of all time.

The 111 wins stripped from his record in light of Jerry Sandusky’s crimes will be restored under a new deal with the NCAA, the organization said Friday.

A total of 112 wins are being restored to Penn State, ESPN said; one win was under defensive coach Tom Bradley.

“Today is a victory for the people of Pennsylvania,” State Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Today is a victory for Penn State Nation. The NCAA has surrendered.”

Under the terms of the NCAA deal, all of the $60 million fine levied against Penn State to be used for anti-child abuse measures will be spent in Pennsylvania, ESPN said.

The deal still must be approved by the NCAA board and Penn State board, ESPN said.

Record sanctions were imposed against the university, including the $60 million fine; the vacation of all wins after 1998; and a loss of postseason eligibility and scholarships.

The NCAA already had backtracked on some of the sanctions, citing the “significant progress” that Penn State has made.

The NCAA restored Penn State’s bowl eligibility in September; Penn State went on to face Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl in December, winning 31-30. Scholarships will be back for the 2015-16 season.

• See photos of the celebrations in State College and University Park when sanctions were lifted in September.

Sandusky, a former assistant football coach at Penn State, was convicted in June 2012 of 45 out of 48 counts of child sexual abuse, and is serving 30 to 60 years in state prison.

With the restoration of the 111 wins, Paterno again becomes the most-winning football coach in NCAA Division I history, with a record of 409-136-3.

Paterno was fired from the university on Nov. 9, 2011. He died Jan. 22, 2012.