80 and Thriving
A nice morning walk, driving to the store, a challenging game of shuffleboard: these are just a few activities you would find the average 70 year old participating in. Then there are the super seniors, people like Joe Paterno who is not only still coaching at the age of 80, but running out of the tunnel with his team. Coach Paterno’s career at Penn State has spanned over 50 years and 10 U.S. Presidents. His close friend and rival coach Bobby Bowden is a youthful 77 years old and will most likely be coaching for a few more years before he hangs up the whistle.
While most of us at the age of 70 would be happy to fog a mirror or consume a bowl of our favorite jello; these men are as active as most 40 year olds. What are their secrets to staying active? Is it simply just that; staying active? There are many other coaches such as; Eddie Robinson, George Halas (football), Connie Mack, Casey Stengal, and Jack McKeon (baseball) that have had their coaching careers continue past 70. What do these men have in common? Is it great genetics, regimental workouts, eating healthy or hanging around young people?
I have always admired all of these life long coaches, but there is something special about Coach Paterno. This guy has been accidentally ran over in practice just to hop right back up and he still leads his team out on Saturday by running out of the tunnel. I am not even close to being a Penn State fan, but still cheer him on from my living room every time I see it. Maybe the most amazing thing is that he’s still a great coach. Last year his team went 11-1 and they’re 6-3 so far this year. I hope he coaches for 10 more years.
I wrote this blog Friday morning and evidently jinxed Joe P. I was watching Sports Center Saturday evening and saw him get run over on the sideline. Oops!
