Gerald Arthur "Jerry" Sandusky (born January 26, 1944)^[2] is a retired American football coach. Sandusky served as an assistant coach for his entire career, mostly at Pennsylvania State University under Joe Paterno, and was one of the most notable major college football coaches never to have held a head coaching position. He received Assistant Coach of the Year awards in 1986 and 1999.^[3]

In 2011, he was arrested and charged with over 40 counts of sexual abuse of young boys over a 15-year period.^[4]

Early life and family[link]

Sandusky was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, the only son of Evelyn Mae (née Lee), an Irish Catholic homemaker who came from a small Pennsylvania coal-mining town,^[5] and Arthur Sandusky, whose parents, Edward and Josephine Sendecki, had immigrated from Poland to East Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. His father Arthur served in the field of youth service programs for over 30 years, mostly as director of the Brownson House in Washington, Pennsylvania, a community recreation center for children.^[6][6] There, he founded the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling program and created junior basketball, volleyball, boxing and football programs for the Brownson House. He improved the facilities there by adding a new playground, gym, outdoor basketball court, and a renovated football field. He managed the 1955 Washington baseball team that won the Pony League World Series championship, the only team from Washington to win that championship. Arthur was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.^[6]

Jerry Sandusky attended Washington High School, where he was a good student and standout athlete, playing baseball, basketball and football.^[7] He was a leader on his junior high basketball team that went undefeated through the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League.^[7] Personally, his classmates have described him as a studious "loner" who "never dated in high school" but was a popular and handsome athlete.^[7]

Education and playing career[link]

Sandusky played for Paterno at Penn State, starting at defensive end from 1963 to 1965.^[8] He graduated first in his class with a B.S. in health in 1966 and physical education in 1970.^[8][7]

Early coaching career[link]

Sandusky served as a graduate assistant under Paterno at Penn State in 1966. He was assistant basketball and track coach at Juniata College in 1967 and offensive line coach at Boston University in 1968.^[7]

Coaching career at Penn State[link]

He returned to Penn State in 1969 and remained there as an assistant coach until his retirement at the end of the 1999 season. Sandusky served as defensive line coach in 1969, became linebacker coach in 1970, and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1977, holding that position until his retirement. In his years as a linebacker coach and defensive coordinator, he coached many defensive squads, and Penn State gained a reputation for outstanding linebacker play, producing 10 first-team All-Americans at that position, and acquiring the nickname "Linebacker U". Jack Ham and LaVar Arrington were two of the noted pro football greats to emerge from his teams.^[9]

His final game coaching at Penn State was a notable game for Sandusky. Penn State faced Texas A&M in the 1999 Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. The Nittany Lions' defense shut out Texas A&M, 24–0, the only bowl game shutout victory for Penn State under Paterno. Sandusky was recognized in ways usually reserved for a head coach. He was doused with a water bucket and carried to the center of the field on the shoulders of his players.^[10]

The Second Mile[link]

After retirement, Sandusky hosted many summer football camps and was active in The Second Mile, a children's charity he founded in State College, Pennsylvania in 1977.^[11]

President George H. W. Bush praised the group as a "shining example" of charity work in a 1990 letter,^[12] one of that president's much-promoted "Thousand points of light" encouragements to volunteer community organizations.^[9]

Citing Sandusky's work with The Second Mile charity to provide care for foster children, then U.S. Senator Rick Santorum honored Sandusky with an Angels in Adoption award in 2002.^[13]

Ex-Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil, current Eagles head coach Andy Reid, R.R.M. Carpenter, III, former Eagles owner, Matt Millen from ESPN, actor Mark Wahlberg, Arnold Palmer, and football player Franco Harris, among others, served on the Honorary Board of Second Mile.^[14]

Publications[link]

Sandusky co-wrote an autobiography titled Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story (ISBN 9781582612706), which was published in 2001.^[15] His co-writer was Keith "Kip" Richeal. The book also includes a quote in a foreword^[16] from football coach Dick Vermeil about Sandusky: "He could very well be the Will Rogers of the coaching profession."^[17] In the book, which was still on sale at the Penn State bookstore according to a November 12 report in a Harrisburg paper, "Sandusky paints a picture of himself as someone who would consistently take risks in pursuit of what he often refers to as 'mischief'". Other passages which look "different in light of the horrendous allegations" include:

• "[Y]ou could mess up a free lunch", Sandusky quoted his own father as telling him
• "I thrived on testing the limits of others and I enjoyed taking chances in danger"
• Sandusky telling of demonstrating his throat-hold on a Second Mile boy who'd come to Sandusky complaining of a "foster father [who] 'grabbed me around the back of my shoulders and ... made me do something when I didn't want to do it'"
• repeated descriptions of Sandusky hugging boys and talking about being very close to boys
• "I enjoyed pretending as a kid, and I love doing the same as an adult with these kids."^[18]

Other books by Sandusky include:

• Developing linebackers the Penn State way, Leisure Press, 1981; ISBN 978-0-918438-64-5
• Coaching linebackers, with Cedric X. Bryant. Coaches Choice Books, 1995; ISBN 978-1-57167-059-5
• 101 linebacker drills, with Cedric X. Bryant. Coaches Choice Books, 1997; ISBN 978-1-57167-087-8

Child sexual abuse charges[link]

On November 4, 2011, a grand jury^[19] which had been convened in September 2009, or earlier,^[9] indicted Sandusky on 40 counts of sex crimes against young boys. The indictment came after a three-year investigation that explored allegations of Sandusky having inappropriate contact with a 15-year-old boy over the course of four years, beginning when the boy was ten years old. The boy's parents reported the incident to police in 2009.^[20] The jury identified eight boys that had been singled out for sexual advances or sexual assaults by Sandusky, taking place from 1994 through 2009.^[21] At least 20 of the incidents allegedly took place while Sandusky was still employed at Penn State.^[22] Attorney Joseph Amendola represented Sandusky.^[9]

On November 5, 2011, Sandusky was arrested and charged with seven counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse; eight counts of corruption of minors, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, seven counts of indecent assault; and other offenses.^[23] Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and senior vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz (who oversaw the Penn State police department) were charged with perjury and failure to report suspected child abuse by Sandusky.^[24][25]

According to the indictment, in 2002 assistant coach Mike McQueary, then a Penn State graduate assistant,^[26] said he walked in on Sandusky anally raping a ten-year-old boy. The next day, McQueary reported the incident to Paterno, who informed Curley. Ultimately, it is alleged, the only actions Curley and Schultz took was to bar him from bringing children to the football building, take away his keys to the locker room, and report the incident to Second Mile; these actions were approved by school president Graham Spanier.^[27] The indictment accused Curley and Schultz not only of failing to tell the police, but also of falsely telling the grand jury that McQueary never informed them of the alleged sexual activity.^[28]

Sandusky is currently free on $250,000 bail, although he is under house arrest and several other conditions. He could face life in prison if convicted of the charges.^[29] Inside Edition reports that Sandusky's home is very close to an elementary school.^[30]

Penn State has been the subject of significant media criticism for allegations that several members of its staff, ranging from the University President down to a graduate assistant, covered up Sandusky's alleged assaults.^[31] Maureen Dowd wrote of the scandal, "Like the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Penn State hierarchy appears to have covered up pedophile crimes to protect its brand."^[31]

On November 6, 2011, Penn State banned Sandusky from campus.^[32] His bail conditions did not include restrictions on his travel.^[33]

On November 10, 2011, the Sandusky home, which is located next to an elementary school and playground, was vandalized.^[34]

On November 14, in a televised phone interview on NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams, Sandusky admitted to correspondent Bob Costas to having showered with underage boys and touching their bodies, as he described it "without intent of sexual contact." Sandusky denied being a pedophile.^[35] The interview received substantial coverage in the media, particularly regarding the manner in which Sandusky answered Costas when asked if he is sexually attracted to young boys:^[36][37][38]

COSTAS: "Are you sexually attracted to young boys, to underage boys?"

SANDUSKY: "Am I sexually attracted to underage boys?"
COSTAS: "Yes."

SANDUSKY: "Sexually attracted, you know, I enjoy young people. I love to be around them. But no I'm not sexually attracted to young boys."
^[39][40][41]

In the days following the interview, several potential victims contacted State College lawyer Andy Shubin to tell their stories, with one claiming Sandusky had abused him in the 1970s.^[42]

Because of the scandal, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, a non-profit adoption awareness organization, rescinded its 2002 Angels in Adoption award to Jerry and Dorothy Sandusky.^[43] Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, who nominated Sandusky and his wife for the award, has said he is "devastated" by the scandal.^[44]

On December 7, 2011, Sandusky was arrested for a second time on additional counts of sexual abuse. Bail was set for $250,000, which he paid the next day. He is under house arrest and several other conditions, such as being prohibited from being in the unsupervised presence of minors. Sandusky must also wear an electronic monitor at all times.^[45] In an interview with Jo Becker of the New York Times^[46] Sandusky gave his explanation of the eight allegations in the Grand Jury Presentment.

Becker: "You must have some theory, Without getting into individual cases or naming names."
Sandusky: "You would have to, to have my understanding of that. What I think? I mean, What I think are that these are individual matters. These kids, some of them, I know them. Some of them. I don't know all of them. [lawyer Amendola interjects 'we're assuming']. We're assuming we know them. Two of the kids. My gut feeling would be that they got pulled into this."

Senior Deputy Attorney General E. Marc Costanzo handled press questions for the state at the time of the preliminary hearing date. Magistrate Judge Robert Scott presided.^[47]

Family[link]

Sandusky is married. He and his wife Dorothy "Dottie" (née Gross), whom he married in 1966, have six adopted children^[48] and took in foster children.^[8] One son, Jon Sandusky, is Director of Player Personnel for the Cleveland Browns.^[49][50] Another son, E. J. Sandusky, is an assistant football coach at West Chester University.^[51]

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Second Mile
• Centre County, Penn. Grand Jury Findings of Facts
• Sandusky, Penn State case timeline