Despite a report suggesting the contrary, former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno remains alive, although he is in serious condition. His son Scott verified this on his Twitter account, and many others have also reported that Paterno is still alive.
Earlier Saturday night, a spokesman for the Paterno family had indicated that his health was deteriorating. Paterno has been battling lung cancer, and the report of his death suggested complications with chemotherapy took his life.
Paterno coached Penn State for 46 seasons before being fired late in the 2011 season, due to the fallout from the child sex abuse scandal involving his longtime defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky.
During Paterno's tenure at Penn State, he took the program to unparalleled heights, highlighted by two national championships, five undefeated seasons, and Paterno set the record for most wins by a single coach in Division 1 football history, with 409.
His name has long been synonymous with the Penn State program, and current students and alumni were quick to come to his defense after the University announced he was be fired. Penn State finished off the 2011 season with a 1-3 record under interim coach Tom Bradley, another longtime Paterno assistant.
Bill O'Brien, the current offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, will take over the Penn State program at the conclusion of the Patriots season.
For more on Paterno's status, visit Black Shoe Diaries.