Getting Rid Of The Sluggards

When Joe Paterno first began coaching the Penn State Nittany Lions, they got off to a dismal start. During his second year (1967), he noticed that his starting players were just going through the motions, playing without commitment or intensity. He also noticed that the sophomore replacements played with enthusiasm. Paterno realized the time had come to prove himself as a coach.

He made a decision to “get rid of the sluggards.” During the next game against Miami, he replaced each going-through-the-motion senior with an eager sophomore. By the end of the first quarter he had a whole new team on the field. They played with such intensity that Penn State upset the highly favored Hurricanes.

That season, the Nittany Lions began a winning streak that continued for thirty-one games—it didn’t end until after all the “Sophomore Wonders” had graduated. Paterno proved himself as a coach, and his young players proved to everyone that enthusiasm is a team’s greatest weapon.