He left the coaching staff in 1999 and continued his work with at-risk kids at The Second Mile, the foundation he established in 1977. In 2001, he wrote a book called "Touched" and I reviewed it for the Daily News. During the phone interview, I asked Sandusky whether he left the coaching staff when he found out he was not going to succeed Joe Paterno as head coach.
He grumbled, he shouted, he resented the question. I backed off, because I had planned to write a positive piece about a guy helping disadvantaged kids. Little did I know.
Here is that column:
Jerry Sandusky has a heart bigger than Texas. Gives whole chunks of it to kids at risk. Finds foster homes for them; recruits mentors for them; arranges healthy, constructive things for them to do.
Jerry and Dottie Sandusky adopted six kids of their own, while helping thousands of others through The Second Mile, a charitable foundation he organized. Was the defensive coordinator at Penn State for 23 years. Retired after the 1999 season.
And now he has written a book, with Kip Richeal, a former Penn State equipment manager. It is called "Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story."
So, what's it like, coaching under Joe Paterno for 32 years? Does JoePa growl, does he screech behind closed doors? Is he a second-guessing grump or does he delegate responsibilities willingly and graciously? What's with those generic uniforms, the white socks he wears on the sideline that show beneath his rolled-up trousers?
You won't find the answers in "Touched." The few times Paterno is mentioned in the book, he's scolding Sandusky for goofing off, for being too loose, too outgoing.
"I don't know if it was intentional," Sandusky hedged. "I was just recollecting the things I remembered the most, giving credit to guys who seldom get credit.
