For the Glory: College Football Dreams and Realities Inside Paterno's Program

Joe Paterno, who became head football coach at Penn State in 1965, has a reputation as both a winner and a mentor who cares about his players' academic success. That reputation is scrutinized by Washington Post staffer Denlinger, as he follows the progress of 28 scholarship players who entered State in 1988, with the possibility of five-year careers permitted by the NCAA. Five years later, 17 were still in school but only nine were active players; and the teams had not been brilliantly successful. But this excellent volume is not an attack on Paterno. Instead it is an attack on college football. Denlinger concludes that although ``the world could get along nicely'' without the sport, it doesn't want to. Photos not seen by PW. (Sept.)