Steve Spurrier says Joe Paterno got a terrible deal at Penn State

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier turned 70 yesterday,, and the Head Ball Coach has not lost one step along the way. Spurrier is still working out like a machine, spouting off one-liners about his rivals out of the blue and he recently got started on Twitter. The guy is as in touch with the college football world as any. He also still has the back of former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno.

In an interview with The State, Spurrier was asked to look back 20 years at his thoughts about coaches coaching in their 70s. Florida State’s Bobby Bowden and Paterno, obviously, came up in his response. In it Spurrier notes it was “unfortunate” the way the Paterno era came to an end and he thinks it could have been handled differently.

From The State;

Question: When you were 50 years old, what did you think about guys who were coaching in their 70s?

Answer: Well, there weren’t many. There weren’t many because just nobody did it. Nobody lasted that long, and most of the time they didn’t last that long because at some point they quit winning as much as they used to win. Bobby Bowden, of course, went a long time, and they finally had to tell him, ‘You’re finished.’ Joe Paterno was still there. That was very unfortunate what happened up there. I still think he got a bad deal, got a terrible deal.

Q: In terms of taking so much blame?

A: Correct. He did what the head coach is supposed to do. He told the athletic director, and (the AD) and the president let it die down I guess, and of course it flared up later. He was a good guy, a good friend. I liked him.

You need no reminder how and why Paterno was removed as head coach of the program. He was informed of his dismissal by the board of trustees over a short phone call after being handed a phone number at his door as the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal was unfolding through State College and gaining so much national attention. Spurrier’s stance is not unfamiliar to many at this point. Whether he is right or wrong, he clearly remains loyal to his coaching friend.

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