STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Stefano DiPietro first heard about the rally on Facebook around 2 p.m. Fellow Penn State students were heading to Joe Paterno's house at dusk to show support for the coach when he returned from practice.
"From there, I just tried to relay it to as many people as possible on text, Facebook, Twitter, whatever," said DiPietro, an 18-year-old freshman. "None of us want to see Joe leave. We all love Joe."
The love was evident as several hundred students crowded around Paterno's house, located just a couple of blocks from campus. Chants of "We are Penn State!" and "Joe Paterno!" filled an otherwise quiet, darkened street.
The 84-year-old coach looked happier than any senior citizen ever to have kids trample his lawn. He exited the passenger side of a white university van to thank the students in his driveway. A few minutes after that, he opened his front window to say a few more words as the crowd surged forward to hear him. And just when everybody was about to disperse some 30 minutes later, a grinning Paterno walked out the front door to address the students one more time.
"I can't tell you how much this means to me," he said. "I've lived for this place. I've lived for people like you guys and girls."
After the rally at Paterno's house, a portion of the crowd went to stand guard by his statue at Beaver Stadium before marching to Old Main, the school's administration building. Students walked onto College Avenue before being moved off the street by police in riot gear, and they reassembled at Old Main as their numbers swelled into the thousands.
Around 11:30, the crowd marched back to Beaver Stadium, where several thousand gathered around the Paterno statue until well after midnight. Other than a few overturned garbage cans by the stadium, the demonstrations appeared to be mostly peaceful.
Support for Paterno among the student body appears to remain high, even as the entire Penn State community struggles to deal with news of the child molestion allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky case, a scandal that has put the coaching legend's career in jeopardy. Paterno asked the students to say a prayer for the victims, adding that "it's a tough life when people do certain things to you."
"From there, I just tried to relay it to as many people as possible on text, Facebook, Twitter, whatever," said DiPietro, an 18-year-old freshman. "None of us want to see Joe leave. We all love Joe."
The love was evident as several hundred students crowded around Paterno's house, located just a couple of blocks from campus. Chants of "We are Penn State!" and "Joe Paterno!" filled an otherwise quiet, darkened street.
The 84-year-old coach looked happier than any senior citizen ever to have kids trample his lawn. He exited the passenger side of a white university van to thank the students in his driveway. A few minutes after that, he opened his front window to say a few more words as the crowd surged forward to hear him. And just when everybody was about to disperse some 30 minutes later, a grinning Paterno walked out the front door to address the students one more time.
"I can't tell you how much this means to me," he said. "I've lived for this place. I've lived for people like you guys and girls."
After the rally at Paterno's house, a portion of the crowd went to stand guard by his statue at Beaver Stadium before marching to Old Main, the school's administration building. Students walked onto College Avenue before being moved off the street by police in riot gear, and they reassembled at Old Main as their numbers swelled into the thousands.
Around 11:30, the crowd marched back to Beaver Stadium, where several thousand gathered around the Paterno statue until well after midnight. Other than a few overturned garbage cans by the stadium, the demonstrations appeared to be mostly peaceful.
Support for Paterno among the student body appears to remain high, even as the entire Penn State community struggles to deal with news of the child molestion allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky case, a scandal that has put the coaching legend's career in jeopardy. Paterno asked the students to say a prayer for the victims, adding that "it's a tough life when people do certain things to you."
"From there, I just tried to relay it to as many people as possible on text, Facebook, Twitter, whatever," said DiPietro, an 18-year-old freshman. "None of us want to see Joe leave. We all love Joe."
The love was evident as several hundred students crowded around Paterno's house, located just a couple of blocks from campus. Chants of "We are Penn State!" and "Joe Paterno!" filled an otherwise quiet, darkened street.
The 84-year-old coach looked happier than any senior citizen ever to have kids trample his lawn. He exited the passenger side of a white university van to thank the students in his driveway. A few minutes after that, he opened his front window to say a few more words as the crowd surged forward to hear him. And just when everybody was about to disperse some 30 minutes later, a grinning Paterno walked out the front door to address the students one more time.
"I can't tell you how much this means to me," he said. "I've lived for this place. I've lived for people like you guys and girls."
After the rally at Paterno's house, a portion of the crowd went to stand guard by his statue at Beaver Stadium before marching to Old Main, the school's administration building. Students walked onto College Avenue before being moved off the street by police in riot gear, and they reassembled at Old Main as their numbers swelled into the thousands.
Around 11:30, the crowd marched back to Beaver Stadium, where several thousand gathered around the Paterno statue until well after midnight. Other than a few overturned garbage cans by the stadium, the demonstrations appeared to be mostly peaceful.
Support for Paterno among the student body appears to remain high, even as the entire Penn State community struggles to deal with news of the child molestion allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky case, a scandal that has put the coaching legend's career in jeopardy. Paterno asked the students to say a prayer for the victims, adding that "it's a tough life when people do certain things to you."
"From there, I just tried to relay it to as many people as possible on text, Facebook, Twitter, whatever," said DiPietro, an 18-year-old freshman. "None of us want to see Joe leave. We all love Joe."
The love was evident as several hundred students crowded around Paterno's house, located just a couple of blocks from campus. Chants of "We are Penn State!" and "Joe Paterno!" filled an otherwise quiet, darkened street.
The 84-year-old coach looked happier than any senior citizen ever to have kids trample his lawn. He exited the passenger side of a white university van to thank the students in his driveway. A few minutes after that, he opened his front window to say a few more words as the crowd surged forward to hear him. And just when everybody was about to disperse some 30 minutes later, a grinning Paterno walked out the front door to address the students one more time.
"I can't tell you how much this means to me," he said. "I've lived for this place. I've lived for people like you guys and girls."
After the rally at Paterno's house, a portion of the crowd went to stand guard by his statue at Beaver Stadium before marching to Old Main, the school's administration building. Students walked onto College Avenue before being moved off the street by police in riot gear, and they reassembled at Old Main as their numbers swelled into the thousands.
Around 11:30, the crowd marched back to Beaver Stadium, where several thousand gathered around the Paterno statue until well after midnight. Other than a few overturned garbage cans by the stadium, the demonstrations appeared to be mostly peaceful.
Support for Paterno among the student body appears to remain high, even as the entire Penn State community struggles to deal with news of the child molestion allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky case, a scandal that has put the coaching legend's career in jeopardy. Paterno asked the students to say a prayer for the victims, adding that "it's a tough life when people do certain things to you."
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