Photos: Top national sports stories of 2012
Joe Paterno dies in disgrace
Credit: Getty Images
On January 22, less than three months after being fired following the Jerry Sandusky child sex scandal, legendary Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno died of lung cancer at age 85. The school made moves in the offseason to wipe the Paterno history from the records, including removing a statue of him in front of Beaver Stadium. The NCAA would later drop harsh penalties on Penn State, which included vacating 117 wins over 14 years. That officially knocked Joe Pa from the top of the list of winningest head coaches in Division I.
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