I am quite pleased that the Maxwell Football Club has chosen to honor the Nittany Lion senior football players with the Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award on March 1.

Most of the country’s sports enthusiasts, especially the national media, figured this team would be lucky

to win three or four games at best. Most are now treating this eight-win season as a miracle of biblical proportions

Ron Jaworski, Maxwell Club president, said he was astonished by the performances of these senior athletes. Many Penn State alumni like me were not the least bit surprised.

Why might you ask?

These Penn State seniors were recruited and coached by one Joseph V. Paterno. This is the same coach Paterno whose Grand Experiment consistently turned out similar high-character young men each year.

Ironically, this is the same Joe Paterno who had his name stricken from the Maxwell Club Coach of the Year Award in November of 2011. Much like the Big Ten and others, the Maxwell Club rushed to judgment without the benefit of due process.

During the awards ceremony, I suggest that Joe Paterno be given some credit for this team’s amazing performance in light of the unfair NCAA sanctions they were required to endure.

How could the Maxwell Club best honor these Nittany Lions on March 1? Announce that Paterno’s name is being rightfully restored on their Coach of the Year Award.

Thomas M. Bradley

Altoona