There was that day almost 25 years ago, when Joe Paterno was greeted covertly at the Pittsburgh Greater Aiport and Hotel. No controversy, he insisted. No media. So instead of taking him to campus, they told him discreetly about the benefits, the fame, the tradition. Then they offered him the job.
He journeyed back to State College and mulled it over for a week. He thought about his young children, his wife. The tradition he was building. And he said no -- no thanks, that is.
By a few Grecian formula-dyed hairs, Joe Paterno remained at Penn State to construct a program. Michigan was out of luck.
"Everything I knew about Michigan I really thought was class," Paterno says. "It would have been one of the few schools I would have left Penn State for."
But he didn't, and the Wolverines were left scrambling for a coach. They didn't fare too poorly.
"A couple of days later, (Michigan) called me and asked me what I knew about a guy named Schembechler," Paterno smiles.
Twenty-five years and over 400 combined victories later, Penn State and Michigan will meet for the first time ever. Bo Schembechler is gone now, but Paterno has remained at the helm for this historic showdown. And just to add to it, the game is the 1,000th in Penn State history.
"I know so much about Michigan," says Paterno, who would tune in the Wolverines' games while growing up in Brooklyn. There is obviously a soft spot for the maize and blue somewhere deep inside the coach. Something that may have helped drive his school into the Big Ten instead of the Big East.
"It's no comparison (between the two)," he laughs. "You've gotta be kidding."
These are the schools -- the Michigans, the Ohio States -- that Penn State has battled for recruits, for exposure. It's about time they battled on the field. After so much hype and anticipation, Michigan will finally bring its flashy yellow pants and helmets on to the Beaver Stadium turf today.
It's a little strange for everyone.
"Looking across and seeing those helmets and those jerseys is going to be a great experience," quarterback Kerry Collins says. "I grew up watching Michigan on TV, and Bo Schembechler -- it's going to be a thrill."
By the way, Bo is gone. Gary Moeller has assumed the unenviable job of following in Schembechler's footsteps, and started off his career 28-5-1 (9-0-3, including a Rose Bowl victory last season).
But at Michigan, they expect nothing but the best. And last week's 17-7 upset loss to Michigan State was nothing but mediocre -- especially just a few weeks after a crushing loss to Notre Dame. The Wolverine offense was thrown off-balance by an attacking Spartan defense. The offensive line was soft, soft enough that Heisman Trophy candidate Tyrone Wheatley ran for only 33 yards.
Not a good time for an historic showdown. Right now, Michigan would rather be preparing for Prairie View A & M.
"It's going to be a little bit of a character test," Moeller says. "We can't get carried away with all the X's and O's and all the things like that -- we're in a mode where we've just got to do our things better."
Things haven't gone much better for Penn State in quite a while. The Lions are 5-0. The team is close-knit. The game is at home. Then again, Michigan may have fallen to No. 18, but that doesn't mean a thing. Especially after the insults the Wolverines levied on Penn State earlier this season.
"We have a corkboard that has a few 'inspirational' messages on it. It's always in the back of your mind," linebacker Eric Ravotti says. "They called us 'the other team (in the Big Ten).' "
They are the Bullies of the Big Ten, and no Eastern Beast is going to step on their territory, they say. Then again, don't overplay the revenge factor.
"It's nothing personal. It's just business," Ravotti adds.
Business starts today, when the Lions enter the insurance seminar of their Big Ten schedule -- six straight conference games, three on the road. And the road starts at the top, with the team that was unbeaten in 21 consecutive conference games until last week's defeat. That only makes it tougher, Paterno says. Now they're mad.
"We have not played a football team the caliber of Michigan," Paterno says. "We have not played against the type of athletes we will play this week."
There are few athletes like Wheatley. The Inkster, Mich., native, arguably the best back in the country, has gobbled up all-purpose yardage like cleats on the shoddy Beaver Stadium turf, averaging 191.2 all-purpose yards per game. 5.5 yards per rush. 11.9 yards per reception. 25.9 yards per kickoff return.
"He's a lot like (Herschel) Walker, in that he's such a good pass receiver," Paterno says. "He's a strong, strong runner with great speed. He does everything you'd want a back to do."
You get the idea. Here comes the next Michigan superstar. It is up to Penn State's vaunted defense.
"If you want to stop Michigan, that's the first thing you have to do, is stop the run," Ravotti says.
Stuffing a 225-pound running back could be a challenge when there are a few 300-pound offensive lineman blocking your view. That's what Michigan couldn't do -- spring Wheatley free in East Lansing last week. Now, that's what Michigan has to do to avoid losing two in a row for the first time since 1990.
"I'm expecting a real battle in the trenches -- a dogfight," Michigan offensive lineman Marc Milia says. "That's what an offensive lineman likes to see."
This is the first of the battles for Pasadena -- time to sort out the Big Ten race. If Michigan loses, it is virtually eliminated. If Penn State wins, the first step has been taken. The dreams of thorny flowers that Joe Paterno carried into the woods in his backyard grow clearer with each victory.
He could be a 25-year veteran of the Big Ten right now, a Rose Bowl regular. Instead, his first huge conference showdown is against the team that once courted him.
"I'm excited to play against them," Paterno says, sounding like a boy preparing to stick his hand in the cookie jar. "I don't want to sound foolish, but I really mean that."
