Despite Paterno’s Speech, Not a Creature Stirred in Second Half

Bruce Keidan of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recalled when Penn State Coach Joe Paterno went ballistic in the locker room after his team had played an indifferent first half on Nov. 24, 1984.

“Joe never used to swear, but he said damn five different times,” said Nick Hayden, a Penn State co-captain that year. “He screamed at us in that high-pitched voice with the Brooklyn accent. ‘Damn it, are you men or mice?’

“We went out in the second half and played like mice.”

Final score: Pittsburgh 31, Penn State 11.

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Trivia time: What three Stanford quarterbacks have been the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft?

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Cold greeting: George Foreman, writing in USA Today, recalled that in 1984 he couldn’t walk for long stretches, his back ached and he needed to use a cane.

“People didn’t even recognize me,” he said. “This guy came up to me and said, ‘I know who you are.’ That made me feel good. Then he said, ‘You’re Refrigerator Perry!’ ”

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The phantom: San Francisco 49er safety Merton Hanks on Detroit Lion running back Barry Sanders:

“You could be six inches from him and not touch him. He’s the quickest person I’ve seen in my life.”

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Ordeal: Mike Ditka, former Chicago Bear coach, told Brian Allee-Walsh of the New Orleans Times-Picayune of his relationship with former Bear quarterback Jim McMahon:

“Jim rebels when people try to get close to him. He defied authority. He wanted to be like Jimmy Dean, the rebel without a cause.

“You could set your watch two weeks into training camp, and he’d have everybody around him (ticked) off at him. Hell, coaching is hard enough without being a baby-sitter.”

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Rah! Rah! Coach Marv Levy of the Buffalo Bills promised his players he would write them their own fight song if they beat Miami on Sunday, which they did, 21-11. A sampling of the lyrics:

“Go Bills! For we are here to cheer for you. Go Bills! We are your fans so true. With victory in sight, we’ll yell with all our might. So, go Bills! Fight Bills! Go! C’mon, let’s win for Buffalo!”

That from a Phi Beta Kappa whose specialty is English literature?

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FYI: World Features Syndicate reports that Sergei Bubka has broken or tied the indoor and outdoor world records in the pole vault 35 times--in 27 cities, 12 countries and on three continents.

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Looking ahead: Barry Foster, Pittsburgh Steeler running back, when asked whether he wanted newborn Barry Jr. to be the next Barry Foster.

“No,” he said. “The next Barry Bonds.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1962, Houston’s George Blanda threw six touchdown passes to lead the Oilers to a 56-17 rout of the New York Titans.

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Trivia answer: Bobby Garrett, 1954; Jim Plunkett, 1971, and John Elway, 1983.

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Quotebook: Vic Ziegel of the New York Daily News: “We are counting on Congress to bring baseball back in 1995. That’s how desperate we are.”