Kanjorski offsides on JoePa snub

By LOU BARLETTA FOR CONGRESS

Hazleton, PA – Lou Barletta, Hazleton mayor and candidate for Congress, asked why Paul Kanjorski does not support the nomination of Penn State Head Football Coach Joe Paterno for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a sports figure can receive in the United States.

Kanjorski did not sign a nomination letter signed by 17 other members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation. That letter, written by Rep. Glenn Thompson, the Republican who represents University Park, was sent to President Barack Obama on Monday, according to ESPN.

Paterno, 83, will take the field this year for his 45^th season as the university’s head football coach. He is the winningest coach in Division I football, with 394 wins. This fall, he is likely to become only the third coach in collegiate sports history to reach 400 wins. Since Paterno began leading the program in 1966, Penn State has had 77 first-team All-Americans.

More than that, Paterno strongly supports a complete college education for his student-athletes. The Penn State football team’s 89 percent graduation rate was the highest among all teams in the Associated Press’ final 2009 Top 25 poll. Also in 2009, Penn State led all Football Bowl Subdivision teams in first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans. During his tenure as head coach, Penn State has had 15 Hall of Fame Scholar-Athletes, 44 first-team Academic All-Americans, and 18 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners.

Paterno is a huge contributor to Penn State. He and his wife and children have given more than $4 million to the main library at the University Park campus. JoePa is also active in numerous charities, donating time and money to various causes across Pennsylvania. For example, the Paternos pledged $1 million in 2009 in support of a three-floor, 42,000-square-foot expansion of Mount Nittany Medical Center.

“Joe Paterno is a living legend in Pennsylvania. His list of accomplishments and achievements – both on and off the field – is pages long. Paterno is more than a football coach. He is a very gracious and generous man, supporting many worthwhile university and community projects. It’s extremely hard to comprehend why Kanjorski did not sign this nomination letter for JoePa,” said Shawn Kelly, spokesman for Lou Barletta’s campaign. “Even the most die-hard fans of other teams recognize Joe Paterno’s place in the history of college sports. By failing to sign this letter, Kanjorski shows once again how out of touch he is.”

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