Brown University mourning alum Paterno

Providence, RI – Among the many people in college football mourning the death of legendary coach Joe Paterno are those at Brown University, his alma mater.

Paterno, who died from lung cancer at age 85 Sunday morning in State College, Pa., is a 1950 graduate of Brown and a member of the Ivy League university's athletic Hall of Fame.

"This a sad day for the Brown University community and the Brown football program," Brown head football coach Phil Estes said. "My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the Paterno family.

"Joe Paterno was a great mentor for all of college football. I have considered him my role model for my career here at Brown," Estes added. "I had several opportunities to talk with Joe about football and Brown University, and will cherish those memories. Coach Paterno has been an important part of our football tradition and we will continue to celebrate his storied career and life."

Paterno was a standout quarterback and defensive back at Brown. Under head coach Rip Engle, Paterno blossomed into the heady quarterback of the Bears' 8-1 squad in 1949.

As a defensive back, Paterno still holds Brown's all-time career interceptions record (14). He was named to the Bears' 125th anniversary all-time team at defensive back.

Paterno also returned punts and kickoffs, posting career averages of 8.8 and 20.1 yards, respectively.

After his senior season, Paterno took an offer from Engle to work on a part- time basis with the team's quarterbacks while awaiting graduation. Shortly after, Engle was named the head coach at Penn State and Paterno joined him as an assistant coach.

Paterno was named Penn State's head coach in 1966 and went on to become the winningest coach in major college football history with 409 career wins. He was fired by trustees in November in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case.