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sideline after all that has happened between the two teams since Penn State joined the Big Ten. Many of us are still upset by former coach John Cooper going for a needless touchdown on a 7yard run with 53 seconds left immediately after defensive back Adam Taliaferro was carried off the field on an immobilizing stretcher in the 2000 game at Ohio Stadium. Then there was Meyer's controversial and seemingly gloating "rub-it-in" challenge of a Penn State first down late in the third quarter of last year's game, when the score was 56-7 and the Lion players were already chastened. To think that Johnson is now all part of this mentality makes me cringe a bit. My insufferable Ohio State son-in-law and his two sons have been bad enough to deal with, and now Larry Johnson in scarlet and grey is almost too much for this senior citizen's heart. OK, I'm mostly kidding about my daughter Lori's loveable family, but I still have to wonder about Johnson's claim of his loyalty to Penn State. Maybe even Paterno is turning over in his grave. Johnson's abrupt switch of allegiance is different than that of Hoskins in 1896, and not just because Hoskins was a head coach and Johnson an assistant. Over the years, more than two dozen Penn State assistants have left to coach elsewhere. Also, four of the first six official head coaches from 1892-1915 took other coaching jobs. However, in that era, the definition of a head coach was radically different than it is today. Without going into details, four of those head coaches were purely part-timers, spending anywhere from a few weeks to three months on campus during the football season. One was a doctor and another an attorney. In reality, compared to today's standards, Hoskins was the team's trainer, primarily responsible for getting the players in top physical condition. Even though Hoskins had no real authority over the team, which was supervised by the student-run Football Department, the players eagerly accepted his advice and counsel and he did "coach the team" but not exactly like it's done nowadays. In fact, because of the hazy eligibility rules of that era, Hoskins decided to become a player, too, and wound up earning three letters. Imagine how entertaining that would have been decades later if Joe Paterno or Bill O'Brien had been playing quarterback with Larry Johnson at nose tackle. In his first three seasons, Hoskins' team lost just two games (both to Penn), tied one and won 15. But after a 2-2-3 record in 1895, Hoskins left for a similar athletic trainer/coaching position at Pitt. At the time, Penn was Penn State's biggest rival, and the first game against Pitt in 1893 at Old Beaver Field was a cordial one, with Hoskins playing center. Penn State won, 32-0, on a rainy early November day, and after the game, the Pitt players joined their hosts for some libations at a campus fraternity. The teams did not play again until three years later when Pitt returned to Penn State with Hoskins coaching and playing center. The crowd, made up predominantly of students, took umbrage and booed Hoskins as soon as he walked onto the field. The game turned into a brawl, with Hoskins nastily instigating several fights and constantly disrupting the game over some perceived rules violation. Although Penn State won the game, 10-0, the student newspaper accused Hoskins of "unmanly defiance of all fair rules" and apologized to past opponents who might have lost to Penn State when Hoskins was coaching because of his "unfair and unmanly tactics." That was the start of what was once one of the bitterest rivalries in college football. So, unlike Larry Johnson, Hoskins didn't leave Penn State to become a coach at a contentious rival. Hoskins left and created the animosity that made Penn State and Pitt such passionate rivals. You're off the hook for that with the Buckeyes, Larry. Good luck, personally, I but Ohio State still stinks! The Remarkable Journey of the 2012 Nittany Lions A diary by Lou Prato, author of the Penn State Football Encyclopedia and four other Nittany Lion books Personalized autographed copy available through Lou Prato and Associates Call 814-692-7577 or email louprato@comcast.net Price: $19.95 plus tax and shipping

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