Terrelle,
I'm writing you today because I sense you are confused with respect to your future. I know personally that publicity is like poison; it doesn't hurt unless you swallow it, and that the minute you think you've got it made, disaster is just around the corner. But believe deep down in your heart that you are destined to do great things. Besides pride, loyalty, discipline, heart, and mind, confidence is the key to all the locks, and you should be confident in your final decision.
If you come to Penn State, you will have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That's the mark of a true professional, Terrelle. You need to play with supreme confidence, or else you'll lose again and again, and then losing becomes a habit; a habit that Penn State has hopefully kicked in the past two years. But, losing a game is only heartbreaking. Losing your sense of excellence or worth is a tragedy. In other words, the will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital. Penn State will teach you how to prepare.
And remember Terrelle, it's the name on the front of the jersey that matters most, not the one on the back. My goal is for our team to outgrow individual performance and learn team confidence so that excellency becomes a reality. And in passing, know that success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won't taste good.
Sincerely,
Joe Paterno
Head Coach
The Pennsylvania State University
---
"Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains!"
I don't know about you, but I think we have a shot at this kid, even though his gray matter may not be enough to revitalize our coach.
1 comment:
By the way, a book I read on Joe once detailed an encounter between him and PSU's president, Graham Spanier, where Mr. Spanier chided him for not returning the emails of trustees. Joe had never heard of email before, and this was like 2003, a full 35 years after the invention of email.
Post a Comment