When stadium workers turned out the lights at Ohio Stadium last year hours after Penn State was dealt a 38-14 thumping by Ohio State, there was every reason to think that the two winningest active Division I coaches — Joe Paterno and Jim Tressel — would match wits again in 2011.
Not quite.
Would you believe Tom Bradley vs. Luke Fickell? The two longtime assistant coaches saw themselves unceremoniously lifted to the top job — both on an interim basis — at their respective schools after scandals resulted in the ouster of both Paterno and Tressel.
And they’ll be the ones making the decisions Saturday when the Lions return to the Horseshoe to take on the Buckeyes.
Paterno, the career leader in Division I with 409 wins in 46 seasons, was terminated Nov. 9 by Penn State’s Board of Trustees for not following up on an eyewitness account of alleged child sexual abuse by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky after reporting it to athletic director Tim Curley.
Tressel, who finished 2010 tied with Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer for second among active coaches with 229 wins, resigned under fire in May after reports showed he knew of his players’ exchanging team memorabilia for tattoos and did not report the misconduct.
The new head coaches can do nothing but roll their eyes at what has happened and the effect on them.
“Luke called me (Monday) and asked how I was doing. I just kind of chuckled,” Bradley said. “He knew what I meant because he had the same thing.
“I know Luke. He’s a heck of a good person, a friend of mine. I recruited against Luke. We’ve been on the road together. He was laughing and said, ‘At least I got my start in May.’ “
Fickell said Bradley had reached out to him shortly after Ohio State’s coaching change, and he wanted to return the good-luck message in the wake of last week’s awful revelations at Penn State.
“You have respect for different people, obviously, in the same business, the same field,” Fickell said. “While we’re competitors on the field, we’re still human beings at heart and know how difficult different situations are.”
Paterno and Tressel met 10 times from 2001 through last year, with the Nittany Lions going only 3-7 in that time.
The two men have discussed safety concerns for Saturday, but Bradley said he has been assured of no trouble.
