LEWISTOWN - The past four days have produced a dark cloud over Central Pennsylvania.
The scandal at Penn State is starting to take shape and several of the school's once-trusted officials are taking the heat. The latest: legendary football coach Joe Paterno.
Paterno was fired from the football program after 46 seasons, everyone knew there would be reaction, both good and bad. More questions remain unanswered.
The legendary coach took the reins at Penn State in 1966. In that time, there have been 885 coaching changes in major college football (Division I-A, now known as the Football Bowl Series).
Here in the Juniata Valley, there have been a few players who had the privilege of learning under Paterno and his coaching staff.
Ralph Baker, a 1963 graduate of Penn State and the team captain his senior year, thought the retirement was possible at the end of the season. He said he was not surprised by what's happened since the Sandusky case broke a week ago.
"I felt that he might give strong consideration at the end of the year anyway," Baker said. "The fact that he is not able to be down on the field - I don't think many head coaches can coach from the press box."
Baker spent 11 seasons with the New York Jets. In 1979, he was named vice principal of Chief Logan High School, and retired from Juniata County School District. One of the reasons why Baker is so disappointed is the fact that Penn State has run a fairly clean program for years.
"It's just a shame that this has happened and that's going to put a black eye on a person and a program that has been so well run over so many years," the former linebacker said. "How many football coaches have given their own personal money to build a part of a library? I truly hope that we're (Penn State) going to take a punch and then move on."
Baker admitted that Paterno could be a tough coach at times. He even said the legendary coach was called "Joe the rat."
"He looked like a rat, but he got in your face and would chew you out," Baker said. "I don't have anything bad to say about him. He treated me well."
Gary Klingensmith, the Juniata football coach, played at Penn State in the mid-1960s as well. His senior year was 1965, just a year before Paterno took over from Rip Engle. Klingensmith is not alone in being disappointed in the situation.
"As a Penn State alumni, I'm very disgusted with this whole thing," Klingensmith said. "I still think PSU is a great school but they don't deserve to have this happen to them this way."
While Klingensmith and Baker were at Penn State, Paterno was an assistant.
"Joe Paterno is tough enough to stand up to those officials as a coach," Klingensmith said. "It goes against everything we learned at Penn State."
The Juniata coach insisted that Penn State will not change in his eye, but he is still very upset.
"It's not going to tarnish my thoughts on PSU," Klingensmith said. "Joe had a great career and I hate to see it come to an end this way."
Just before Klingensmith graduated from Penn State, another local athlete was playing for Penn State. Harold "Junior" Powell Jr., who went to Lewistown High School, also was a 1963 graduate.
And he was not a fan of Paterno.
"It couldn't happen to a nicer guy," Powell said. "I don't like him."
Two weeks ago, Paterno broke the all-time wins record in major college football. The five-time national coach of the year leads all FBS schools in bowl wins. He is a member of the college football Hall of Fame.
Paterno and his rolled-up pant legs and Coke bottle glasses will forever be an institution at Penn State.
"Unfortunately, one incident is going to create a black cloud over a program has been as well run as any major college program throughout the whole country," Baker said.
