With the NCAA releasing its sanctions on the Penn State Nittany Lions football program Monday, the extent of Joe Paterno's records is now clear. The program was stripped of its wins from the 1998-2011 seasons, taking away 112 victories, 111 of which were coached by Paterno.
The embattled coach, who passed away in January, had 409 career wins, first all-time among Division I coaches, before the punishment. Paterno now has 298 victories next to his name, good for seventh among Division-I coaches and fifth on the Division I-A coaches list.
Included in those 111 vacated victories are six bowl wins, comeback victories against Big Ten rivals and once-celebrated achievements in Paterno's career. Here are some of the notable Penn State victories of the Joe Paterno Era that will no longer count in the record books:
Joe Paterno's Most Notable Wins Stripped By NCAA Sanctions Slideshow
9/5/98: Southern Miss
In the first game of the 111 suspended Paterno wins, No. 13 Penn State thrashes No. 21 Southern Miss 34-6 behind a combined 162 rushing yards by Cordell Mitchell and Omar Easy. Joe Nastasi also had 73 yards receiving in Paterno's 299th career victory while Lavar Arrington (above) was the defensive star.
1/1/99: Kentucky
In the first sellout of the 15-year history of the Outback Bowl, Penn State handles Kentucky and QB Tim Couch (above) 26-14. The Wildcats take a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Penn State scores 23 unanswered points. Kevin Thompson sparks the rout with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Joe Nastasi in the second quarter.
8/28/99: Arizona
Opening against No. 4 Arizona, No. 3 Penn State erupts for 504 total yards in a 41-7 blowout at Beaver Stadium. Kevin Thompson throws two touchdown passes and Chafie Fields (above) has a 70-yard rushing touchdown and 37-yard receiving touchdown. “I was surprised, pleasantly,” said linebacker LaVar Arrington after the Pigskin Classic win.
9/18/99: Miami
Kevin Thompson and Rashard Casey combine for 246 passing yards and Chafie Fields has 177 receiving yards, as No. 3 Penn State escapes the Orange Bowl with a 27-23 win over the No. 8 Hurricanes. Reggie Wayne catches one pass for 18 yards for Miami.
12/28/99: Texas A&M
In the only shutout bowl win of the Paterno Era, the No. 13 Nittany Lions crush the No. 18 Aggies 24-0. Rashard Casey passes for a touchdown and rushes for another. Derek Fox also scores a touchdown on a 34-yard interception return. The win ends Penn State's three-game losing streak that close the '99 season. The victory is also the last game for defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who allegedly commits sexual misconduct of a minor while on the trip to San Antonio.
10/20/01: Northwestern
The Wildcats, who held a share of the Big Ten title in 2000, is 4-1 at the time. Meanwhile, the 0-4 Nittany Lions are coming off a 20-0 home shutout at the hands Michigan. In a high-powered game that sees both teams rack up more than 500 total yards, Matt Senneca throws for 234 yards and two touchdowns and rushes for two touchdowns in a 38-35 upset. Kicker and future Chicago Bear Robbie Gould also adds a field goal to put Penn State in the win column. Paterno earned his 323rd Division I-A victory to tie Bear Bryant for second on the all-time list.
10/27/01: Ohio State
The following week, Paterno passes Bryant with a 29-27 comeback win over Ohio State. Quarterback Zack Mills has 280 passing yards and two passing touchdowns along with 138 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. One of Mills' rushes goes for 69 yards, Penn State's longest quarterback run since 1991. Mills caps off the comeback with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Eric McCoo, earning Paterno career victory No. 324 and sole possession of second place on the all-time Division I-A wins list.
10/5/02: Wisconsin
After two bowl-less seasons, the No. 20 Nittany Lions move to 4-1 with a 34-31 upset against the No. 20 Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Larry Johnson rushes for 111 yards and one touchdown and Robbie Gould kicks four field goals. Brooks Bollinger has 217 passing yards and two touchdown passes for the previously 5-0 Badgers. Penn State finishes the regular season at 9-3 before losing to No. 19 Auburn in the Citrus Bowl.
10/8/2005: Ohio State
Derrick Williams and Michael Robinson each score rushing touchdowns in a 17-10 grind over Ohio State. After another two-year bowl drought, No. 18 Penn State moves back in the national spotlight by improving to 6-0. Both Penn State and Ohio State finish Big Ten play at 7-1, but the Nittany Lions get the BCS bid conference champions for better overall record (11-1 vs. 10-2).
1/3/06: Florida State
In a triple-overtime thriller at Dolphin Stadium, No. 3 Penn State holds off the No. 22 Seminoles 26-23 in the seventh and final meeting between Paterno and Bobby Bowden. Both teams missed field goals in the first overtime of the Orange Bowl before Penn State's Austin Scott and FSU's B.J. Dean each score on 1-yard touchdown runs in the second overtime. In the third overtime, Kevin Kelly drills a 29-yard field goal to give the Nittany Lions their first bowl victory since the 1999 season. The game took more than four hours and was Paterno's only BCS win.
1/1/07: Tennessee
After an 8-4 regular season, the unranked Nittany Lions upset Tennessee, with Erik Ainge and Arian Foster, 20-10 in the Outback Bowl. Tony Hunt rushes for 158 yards and Tony Davis returns a fumble 88 yards. The Nittany Lions finish the season ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll, their first ranking since Sept. 17 (also at No. 24).
12/29/07
In a rematch of the 1999 Alamo Bowl, the Nittany Lions again beat the Aggies 24-17. Penn State rushes for 270 yards with Rodney Kinlaw's 143 yards leading the way. Backup quarterback Daryll Clark, a sophomore, makes himself relevant with six rushes for 50 yards and a touchdown. Deon Butler (above) adds 59 receiving yards and a touchdown reception. The game was Paterno's 500th career game as Penn State head coach. He had been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame earlier in 2007.
9/20/08: Temple
In a 45-3 rout of the Owls, Daryll Clark throws for 196 yards and two touchdowns and Stephfon Green rushes for 132 yards and a touchdown. The blowout moves the No. 16 Nittany Lions to 4-0 and gives Paterno his 376th career victory. With Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles losing to Wake Forest that night, Paterno, who starts the day tied with Bowden on the all-time Division I-A wins list, moves into sole possession of first place, a spot he hold until the NCAA sanctions.
10/25/08: Ohio State
In a Paterno-Tressel defensive battle, the No. 3 Nittany Lions prevails 13-6 in Columbus against the No. 10 Buckeyes. Penn State kicker Kevin Kelly and Ohio State kicker Aaron Tettrey each boot two field goals. The only other score comes on a 1-yard run by Pat Devlin (above). The win moves Paterno’s team to 9-0, and the Nittany Lions look poised for a run at the national championship. A loss at Iowa the following week ends those title hopes, but Penn State wins the Big Ten to earn a Rose Bowl berth. In Pasadena, the Nittany Lions are trounced by Mark Sanchez (413 passing yards and four touchdown passes) and No. 5 USC 38-24.
1/1/10: LSU
Paterno claims his 24th and final bowl game win with a 19-17 victory against No. 13 LSU in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. With rain turning the field into a swamp, Daryll Clark takes control of his final NCAA game, passing for 216 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 20 more yards. LSU’s Jordan Jefferson also passes for over 200 yards, but Les Miles suffers his first bowl loss as LSU coach in five appearances. Collin Wagner propels No. 11 Penn State to victory with a 21-yard field goal in the final minute.
11/6/10: Northwestern
With the Wildcats up 21-0 nearing the end of the first half, Paterno appears to be staying at 399 career wins for another week. Quarterback Matthew McGloin then throws a touchdown pass in the final seconds of the first half, along with three more in the second half, en route to a 35-21 win. Paterno becomes the first NCAA Division I-A coach to earn 400 career victories.
10/29/11: Illinois
In Paterno's final victory before his firing, the No. 21 Nittany Lions beat Illinois 10-7 in a snowstorm. Penn State scores all 10 of its points in the fourth quarter on Anthony Fera's 30-yard field goal and Silas Redd's 3-yard run. Illinois misses a field goal attempt as time expires. The win lifts Penn State to 8-1 gives Paterno his 409th career victory, one more than Eddie Robinson of Grambling as the all-time NCAA Division I wins leader. "Congratulations to Coach Paterno, Winningest Coach in Division I College Football," reads the electronic scoreboard outside Beaver Stadium. Just 11 days later, Paterno is fired by the university.
