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Joe Pa, who wants to portray himself as Butts, or Vaught, or Neyland, or Bryant, or Robinson, or Jordan, or Dodd: showed tonight that he isn't.
I am thankful that Shug had enough humility and respect for the university over himself to realize that the time had come, though his time came with no scandal and the decision was made at the end of a truly great season. I am thankful that even after three years of retirement “The Man” had the gumption and wherewithal to tell me and my peers that “Auburn People Don’t Do That” when bunches left a game in the 3rd quarter of a game coached by his successor. I am thankful that Shug Jordan was an Auburn Man who lived by the Auburn Creed and realized that AUBURN was bigger than him. No fan base or student body ever loved any coach as much as we loved Shug, but what is happening tonight in College Station, PA would have never happened in Auburn.
Shug would have come out on his porch and told everyone to go home. He would have said Auburn People don’t act like this. He would have told the students “I am not Auburn, You are. Go home, you have classes tomorrow” and we would have gone home because Shug said that is what we should do.
I don’t know if Joe Paterno has the ability to step out and tell everyone to "Go home, You have classes tomorrow.” He is 84. I know my 86 year old mother wouldn’t hesitate to do that. I know Shug wouldn’t have hesitated to do that. I think JoPa suffers from the “I am bigger than the institution” issue that Shug never did. He either gave into it 20 years ago and no longer has the ability to tell that student body that Penn State is bigger than him, or he can't do it now because he is an old man just hanging on. I know they are seperated by a generation, but with Mrs. Jordan's death this week, I have to say, I'll take Shug thank you very much.
Tonight I am thankful for Shug Jordan.
