A chain reaction of events began Nov. 9 within the Pennsylvania State University community and college football. Not long after Jerry Sandusky’s arrest, head football coach Joe Paterno announced his retirement, though the board of trustees fired him hours later. On Nov. 14, the Big Ten removed Paterno’s name from the conference championship trophy, now the Stagg Trophy.

Nov. 18, Jay Paterno announced his father was diagnosed with lung cancer. The past 12 weeks, Paterno struggled with the disease as the public debate and the Sandusky proceedings continued outside his front doorstep as well as across the American public. Jan. 22, at 9:25 AM, Joe Paterno died of lung cancer. He was 85.

Does the last decade of his life and his involvement in the Sandusky scandal define his legacy? Or did the 61 years he poured into Penn State speak more about the man than his nine years of silence ever could soil?

My earlier article stated that I believed the board of trustees was right to punish Paterno as they did. I said that his standards changed when he chose to walk on his own terms. Yet, more than half a century of work, loyalty and philanthropy for one school is very hard to ignore because of what came of it. His investment in the school, even during the time the alleged abuse occured, was nothing less than what he put in year after year before.

I do not devalue the alleged victims his silence harmed, but he helped far more people through his own work over his entire adult life. His legacy should be the Joe Paterno the college football community remembered before Nov. 9. Before the world knew of what he kept under wraps.

In his time as the head coach of the Nittany Lions, Paterno coached in 409 victories, more than any other coach in Division 1. Thousands of players got their opportunities to play under him and play their parts in what emerged as a storied, powerhouse program. More than 250 players who knew him as “Joe Pa” went on to play in the NFL. Many assistant coaches entered and left over time, but to keep one man in one place for careers longer than most coaches spoke volumes about the university’s trust in him and his leadership over their football program.

Paterno and his wife, Suzanne, also gave millions of dollars to Penn State for academic and athletic purposes. Paterno donated part of his annual salary plus millions more to the school and to the State College, PA community for projects, scholarships and trust funds among other causes. He gave his time as well as his money without fail and complaint to a school that gave him a place of influence over and importance to students who played for Penn State.

I said in my last article that his long time of contribution and his place in college football did not excuse him from his firing. I quoted a commentator when I repeated “The Sandusky scandal is his legacy now.” With a little more time and reflection, I believe he gave and gave in his time more than any mistake could ever take away.

Yes, he made a huge mistake. He was human. Every human, no matter how upright he may seem, will disappoint along the way. His mistakes don’t forfeit the millions he gave to his school and his community. They don’t take away the experiences the student-athletes under him had. They don’t take away the place Penn State still holds in college football history or their place in the air of elite schools. No human is perfect. But not every human fulfills their purpose the way Joe Paterno did.