The Lion in Autumn: A Season with Joe Paterno and Penn State Football

by Frank Fitzpatrick

Book Overview

Fascinating. . . . One of the best books ever written on the rise and fall of a great college football coach.? ?Allen Barra, San Francisco Chronicle The Lion in Autumntakes readers inside Penn State?s... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159240149X
• ISBN13: 9781592401499
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Gotham Books
• Length: 299 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Good Synopsis of Joe Paterno and College Football

I hesitated picking up this book because even though it was published only one year ago, it is arguably outdated since Penn State football finally bounced back and had a very good year. That said, I am glad I read it because the book goes beyond the marketed "A Season with Penn State" storyline and provides a very good historical synopsis of Joe Paterno and his role in the history of college football. Since Paterno has been around so long, people tend to forget his importance in the development of college football. Once he retires, he will undoubtedly be remembered in the same breath as Bear Bryant, Knute Rockne, Daryl Royal, Bud Wilkinson and the other Legends (with a capital "L") of college football. This book provides interesting insights into his personal history and the development of Penn State University, which Paterno literally transformed from a backwater agricultural school into a well-known and successful state school. I doubt any coach in college sports history has been more important to his school's development than Paterno has been to Penn State. The parts about the actual season are fairly boring, since PSU was horrible the year Fitzpatrick followed them but it is worth picking up if you are a fan of college football history.

fair and balanced

ok, get past the fact that this is a book written by a sports writer, and understand there will be one or two malaprops and one or two missed typos. it's actually fairly well written. more importantly, it gives us something rather unusual: an even-handed look at joe paterno, and an even-handed retrospective of the program he has created. it's hard to find- so often we see bland - and blind- praise; other times, we see negative press from those with the opposite agenda. this book gets it right, and it's a must-read for anyone who considers himself a fan of penn state football.

An Inspiration of Passion and Leadership

This is a must read for anyone interested in understanding what leadership is all about. In a profession where winning is everything and a world where loyality and tradition are no longer valued, this book chronicles what happens to a highly successful Division 1A football coach when he is no longer winning games. This book was written before the successful 2005 season for the Penn State football program and Joe Paterno being named AP Coach of the year on his 79th Birthday! All the more reason to read. I think this book is an inspiration for Oldies everywhere. Many people who experience what Joe Paterno went through in the Autumn of their careers, will identify with the choices that he faced when he was no longer valued and respected after a long and successful career. In this world of Free Agency, Joe Paterno is a throw back. This book reminds us that Values, Principles, Tradition, and Loyalty are what really matter.....even in today's world.

A Satisfying "Must Read" For Any Penn-Stater

As a Penn State freshman and one who grew up hearing of Joe Paterno only infrequently, this book was a satisfying and appropriate introduction to the living legend Head Coach of Penn State football. On the forieth anniversary of his position as Head Coach, and his 55th year as a Penn State coach, it is fitting that Fitzpatrick's book be published now. With the Nittany Lions back in position to possibly even play in the Rose Bowl (and even if not the Rose Bowl, definitely some type of bowl game), assuming Penn State beats Michigan State this weekend to capture our second Big Ten title and Bowl Championship Series bid. With "Happy Valley" happy again and our Nittany Lions ranked #4 in the nation with what should have been a perfect 10-0 season thus far, had it not been for poor officiating in the Oct. 15 game at Michigan, this text highlights Paterno's career up to this point for anyone interested - and everyone in State College should be. Although this is not an "official" biography and even though the author failed to secure more than one personal meeting with Paterno himself, the book is still a fascinating read due to the vast amount of background material Fitzpatrick was able to glean off various other sources and accounts. It's a fast, fascinating and if nothing else, satisfying read. Pick up your copy now if you haven't already. Joe Paterno is still king of Penn State football, even as he turns 79 this December. It's time people got to know the man of character, morals and determination again.

A Favorite for Penn State Football Fans

It is fall : time for college football, books about college football and biographies about legendary dead coaches like "The Last Coach: A Life of Paul Bear Bryant" by Allen Barra. An exception is "The Lion In Autumn" about a legendary living coach, Joe Paterno. Entering his 40th season as head coach of the Nittany Lions, Coach Paterno began as an assistant in 1950 and succeeded Rip Engle after his retirement following the 1965 season. Mr. Fitzpatrick covers in passing a half century of coaching at a single institition while focusing on the disastrous 4-7 campaign last year. The author is a sportswriter at the Phildelphia Inquirer who covered the 2004 season from afar (in a buried footnote, he acknowledges that he spoke personally to Coach Paterno only once). Mr. Fitzpatrick synthesizes existing source materials into this book which is a quick read. This account is not the definative story of Joe Paterno (which would be hard as the Nittany Lions has rebounded into a top 20 team once again) but merely an introduction to the man. The definative biography of the man who has won two national championships in major upsets (1982 against Georgia & Hershall Walker and 1986 against Miami & Vinny Testaverde) would be twice as long as "The Lion In Autumn" and is yet to be written.