The Board of Directors of the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame, an independent body that administers the Hall of Fame, has considered the status of Joe Paterno and has issued the following statement:
At its meeting on Thursday, September 6, 2012 the Board of Directors of the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame took up the question of whether to remove Joe Paterno from among the University’s Hall of Fame athletes. It voted not to remove him.
Paterno, a member of the Class of 1950 (A.B., English, magna cum laude), was inducted into the Hall of Fame on May 18, 1978. His election to the Hall of Fame recognized Paterno’s outstanding career as a player at Brown, quarterbacking the celebrated varsity football team of 1949, and his contributions to college sports.
In choosing not to remove Paterno from the list of Brown’s Hall of Fame athletes, the Board of Directors did not intend to diminish the tragic events that occurred at Penn State toward the end of Coach Paterno’s career. It sought, rather, to acknowledge the recognition of the achievements for which it elected Paterno to the Hall of Fame nearly 35 years ago.
The Brown Athletic Hall of Fame was organized in 1971 “to recognize alumni and others who, through outstanding performance and achievement in the fields of athletics, have brought special honor to Brown.” It is managed by an independent Board of Directors consisting of up to 20 total members. Directors serve terms of three years with no limit on consecutive terms.