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A hard-fought, well-fought, hairline-close game is as classical in sports as tragedy is in the theater. Victory is contained within defeat, and defeat is contained within victory. That's the way it is in the best of games. What counts in sports is not the victory, but the magnificence of the struggle.

Joe Paterno

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Joe Paterno
Age: 85 †
Born: 1926
Born: December 21
Died: 2012
Died: January 22
American Football Coach
American Football Player
Basketball Player
Football Coach
Writer
Brooklyn
New York
Joseph Vincent Paterno
Joseph Paterno
JoePa
Wells
Theater
Magnificence
Well
Close
Contained
Hard
Game
Counts
Way
Struggle
Classical
Sports
Fought
Within
Defeat
Games
Tragedy
Best
Victory
Hairline

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To teach an academic subject is certainly not easy, but compared to coaching, it is. We can say two plus two is four to every kid and be sure that we are right. But in coaching, we have to literally get to the soul of the people we are dealing with.
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You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That's the mark of a true professional.
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My name, I have spent my whole life trying to make that name mean something. And now it's gone.
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All coaches are thinking men, or else they wouldn't survive.
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In hindsight, I wish I had done more.
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We play with enthusiasm and recklessness. We aren't afraid to lose. If we win, great but win or lose, it is the competition that gives us pleasure.
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Failure is not getting beat. Failure is when you don't do a good job preparing.
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Success and excellence are not the same. Excellence grows within a person, is largely within that person's control, and its meaning lasts. Success is measured externally, by comparison to others, is often outside our control, and is perishable.
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You can't have a great university without a great library.
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When a kid plays football before he attends a class, something is wrong.
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There's never been a greater game than football.
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When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality.
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We need people who influence their peers and who cannot be detoured from their convictions by peers who do not have the courage to have any convictions.
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My father said about money: 'You have to have some. But you don't have to have all of it. Just be honest with yourself.'
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Right now I'm trying to figure out what I'm gonna do, 'cause I don't want to sit around on my backside all day. If I'm gonna do that I'll be a newspaper reporter.
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Success is best measured by the achiever.
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Losing a game is heartbreaking. Losing your sense of excellence or worth is a tragedy.
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The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.
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I had a great bunch of kids. They all hung with us. The coaching staff hung with us. And we played tough every game. If you've got kids that want to play and react to you, it's fun. I'm having a good time.
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Don't just stand back and play the way you're coached. A great player must rise to the occasion and turn the game around on his own.
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