By:  Nicole Soskin, Sports Co-Editor

“Early morning I walked my dog and saw the glow of the stadium. I will never lose Joe’s light in my life.” -Jay Paterno on his twitter Monday morning.

It’s touching to see the love and support that one school pours into one of their coaches, as Pennsylvania State University mourned the loss of one of the most esteemed football coaches in college football history.

Former head football coach Joe Paterno passed away early Sunday morning from complications due to spreading lung cancer. It is a regrettable loss at an untimely period. Still amidst scandal, Paterno was fired as head coach, announced his battle with lung cancer, and passed away in less than three months.

Many say Paterno died of a broken heart, that football was literally keeping the man alive. After nearly half a century of coaching at just one school, he gained more than just support from the student body and fans of Penn State. Paterno held admiration by all, evident by the outpouring of love to the Paterno family in this difficult time, regardless of the scandal.

Paterno, as the most winning college football coach in NCAA history, leaves behind a legacy of greatness for certain. However, it is regrettable and unfortunate that his legacy has ended and will always be remembered as ending in scandal and sorrow.

As Wake Forest students, this type of scandal and love for one person is likely very hard to understand. Regardless of our feelings towards his involvement in the scandal, his loss is mournful for us all. We may not have a figure here at Wake that was as influential, admired, and loved as Joe Paterno was at Penn State, but as a NCAA Division 1 university and sports fans in general, we owe a lot to Paterno. Scandal or no scandal, Paterno’s son Jay said it best; the glow of Beaver stadium will forever remain in honor of Joe Pa.