Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio and Michigan coach Brady Hoke each released a statement Sunday in the wake of the death of former Penn State coach Joe Paterno.
Dantonio said: "On behalf of my immediate family and the Michigan State football family, we express our deepest sympathy to Joe Paterno's wife, Sue, his five children and 17 grandchildren, as well as his extended family, the Penn State football family and the entire State College community.
"Joe dedicated his life to Penn State and college football. He had unparalleled success during his 46 seasons as the head coach at Penn State. Joe was a major player who helped revolutionize the game of college football. In his six-plus decades at Penn State, he influenced and impacted countless numbers of players and people at a championship level.
"Over the past five years, my wife and I have had the privilege of spending time with both Joe and his wife, Sue. We appreciated and enjoyed the time spent at our various functions together and will forever remember him as a steward of our profession."
Hoke said: "I am certainly saddened by the news today of Coach Paterno's passing. College football has lost one of its greatest, a coaching icon. Even though I was just an assistant when our teams faced one another, I feel honored to have shared the field with Joe.
"His players' love for him, it shows how he touched their lives and it tells who he was as a man. He will be missed. His mark on Penn State and college football will never be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Joe's family and friends and the entire Penn State community."
