Photo Legend: Charles "Rip" Engle

When people think Penn State football, they immediately think of Joe Paterno, and rightfully so. However, while Paterno has mentored countless coaches during his tenure, he also had to grow under the tutelage of his coach and colleague, Charles “Rip” Engle.

Engle was born in Elk Lick, Pennsylvania, but his first football experience came in college at Blue Ridge. In fact, football was so new to Engle that it has been reported that his first collegiate game was the first game he had even attended, much less played in.

Following a successful stint at Waynesboro High School in Pennsylvania, Engle joined the staff at Brown University. In 1944 he ascended to the head coach position, and compiled a 28-20-4 record. His tenure at Brown culminated in an 8-1 record in 1949. However, his most important accomplishment may have been coaching a young Joe Paterno who played quarterback and cornerback at Brown.

In 1950 Engle took the Penn State job. While there he helped lay the groundwork for Paterno’s future success. In his 16 years at Happy Valley, Engle never had a losing season, and won three Lambert Trophies, which was considered the Eastern National Championship. When he retired in 1965, Engle had a record of 104-48-4 at Penn State and a career record of 132-68-8.

The Joe Paterno era at Penn State began in 1966, but it would not have been possible without Rip Engle. Paterno himself credits much of his success to his coaching mentor, and was brought to State College by his former collegiate coach. So while Engle was extremely successful in his own right, he solidified his legacy by ushering in one of college football’s greatest dynasties.