Restaurant plans new statue of Joe Paterno
The late Penn State head coach Joe Paterno pictured at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2006 (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo, file)
Fans of the late Penn State University football coach Joe Paterno are planning to commission a new bronze statue of him, and place it across from the school.
Organizers say the statue will feature Paterno sitting on a bench reading. It’s expected to cost about $300,000 and would hopefully be done in 2015 by Philadelphia sculptor Zenos Frudakis.
Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers says the school isn’t involved in the plan. But a restaurant owner in downtown State College says he’s interested in having the statue in front of his establishment.
In 2012 the school removed a Paterno statue from the campus after an investigative report alleged the late coach and three other top Penn State administrators concealed sex abuse claims against retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
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