(Harrisburg) -- For 46 years, Joe Paterno paced the Penn State sidelines en route to becoming the winningest coach in major college football history. The man affectionately known as "JoePa" passed away Sunday at the age of 85 -- as the result of lung cancer. Over the years, fans got a glimpse of Paterno's personality through his weekly press conferences. WITF's Tim Lambert reports.......

Make no mistake. The Nittany Lions are central Pennsylvania's team, being a fan is almost a birth-right, passed from one generaton to another. It's safe to say Joe Paterno is responsible for at such loyalty. He's led Penn State to two national titles, five undefeated, untied seasons and 24 bowl wins -- a record among coaches.

But, his dealings with the media almost always provided fans with something to talk about by the water cooler or at family gatherings. Like how he loved to dole out praise for his players at every opportunity. Through the years, it's gone like this: "I think he's got a chance to be an outstanding linebacker. I think John's a pretty good tight end right now. Paul Jefferson is an excellent blocker. I think Austin Scott has the chance to be a really good back." Or how he's dealt with constant questions over whether he should still coach at his age. "Who's 76? Am I 76? I don't know. You know, I'm excited. You know I don't ever look in the mirror and say, 'You're 76.' I get up in the morning. I feel good," he said. "I get up 5:00, 5:30 in the morning. I'm working at a quarter to six."

Let's face it, Paterno loved to coach and made no secret about it, even after he was injured during a collision with a player at a practice last August. The team's annual preseason media day saw him holding court, while sitting on a golf cart. "I want to stay in coaching, not because it's an ego trip on my part or because I think I gotta carry the gauntlet and I've got to be the guy that leads the charge. Nah." he said. "I want to have a good solid program. I want to be able to get up in the morning and know I've done the best I can and we're doing it the way it's supposed to be done."

As Paterno got older, he liked to portray himself as a little old school and a little behind times. You know, he didn't own a computer and didn't know what Twitter was. "I don't have email. I don't have a cell phone. Alright? We went through all this business about text message. I thought it was t-e-c-h," he told a chuckling gathering of reporters. "My wife had to tell me, 'Joe. It's not tech. It's text.'"

But in the last couple of years, Paterno let it be known he turned to Skype to meet with recruits, since his travel was limited. The coach could also be surly, at times -- showing frustration and impatience with questioners who lingered on topics he wished would drop."Oh...don't ask stupid questions, will you?" he said. The reporter replied that the question was stupid. Paterno raised his voice, "It's a stupid question, as far as I'm concerned!"

When it came to the fans, he loved em.

"One of the things that has really fired me up as I've traveled around, maybe a little bit more this year than I've done any other time, is a tremendous enthusiasm that the fans have," he said. "I don't think there's anybody in the country that has better fans than Penn Staters do."

Most importantly to Paterno, he loved the school. In an era when college football coaches hopscotch from place to place, Paterno stayed put. He produced student athletes whose graduation success rates exceeded the average at other Division One schools, while donating millions of his own money to the university. Let's not forget the Paterno libary. To the lifelong Penn Stater in him, he wanted his players to bleed blue and white.

"I think it has more to do with when a kid looks at a Penn State and he sees, 'Here's a university that believes in stability and loyalty and certain things.'" he said. He can identify with that."

Paterno, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, lost his job in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal and soon after, was diagnosed with the lung cancer that would claim his life. But in his last interview, conducted by a reporter from the Washington Post just weeks ago, Paterno still spoke highly of the school that he invested so much into.