Penn State's O'Brien: 'This is a day for coach Paterno'
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Bill O'Brien, Penn State's new football coach, has moved into the office at the Lasch Football Building that was once occupied by the late Joe Paterno.
This morning, following an early morning workout, O'Brien accompanied his Nittany Lions players to Paterno's private closed casket viewing at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on campus.
Paterno, 85, died Sunday of complications from lung cancer.
"This is a day for coach Paterno," O'Brien told a handful of Penn State beat writers today during a 45-minute interview in his office. "I went to the viewing with our team this morning and that was special. I got to pay my respects to the family and talk to Mrs. [Sue] Paterno briefly. She's a special lady and having a tough day.
"I don't personally know them, but you could tell there was a lot of warmth in that family and they were very nice to me in accepting my condolences to them.
"I shared something with her that I will keep between her and I. It was a nice moment."
O'Brien, who had a brief telephone conversation with the Hall of Fame coach three days after he was hired Jan. 6 as Paterno's successor, also addressed the Penn State Football Letterman's Club today during a luncheon at Beaver Stadium.
"I was just thrilled to see that there were over 800 guys in the room," O'Brien said. "It seemed like every guy who played for coach Paterno was there.
"To be here now two days after he passed away -- it's a sad day for Penn State, it's a sad day for the coaching profession. What I said to the lettermen over there is what we're going to try to do every day is work very hard to continue the standard of excellence he had on the field and that he had as far as graduation rates."
O'Brien, 42, is doing double duty as offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots. He arrived on campus on Monday and will return to Foxborough, Mass., on Wednesday night. The Patriots face the New York Giants on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis.
First Published January 24, 2012 12:00 am
