Two coaches a couple of Joes: Old friends Joe Paterno and Joe Tiller meet for the last time Saturday.

Oct 03, 2008 (York Daily Record - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- NKE | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- The football friends still recall that meeting on a field more than a decade ago.

It was back in 1997 with Penn State traveling to West Lafayette, Ind., to go up against new Purdue coach Joe Tiller.

The two Joes met before the game, Paterno fully aware about Tiller's gutsy philosophy of throwing at all costs on most every down.

Paterno cracked a good-natured dig about the offense.

And Tiller shot one back.

"'Coach, we are what we are," Tiller remembers saying. "'We're going to go out there and play sissy ball.'"

Said Paterno: "Joe's always been one step ahead of me, in that sense. I remember that. And I looked at him kind of funny. And he had that little smile that turned up at the end, like a smirk, almost as if he was saying, 'You'll find out, kid. You'll find out.'"

Paterno laughed as he told the story. Ever since, the two have become good friends, spending time on Nike coaching trips, even their wives becoming close.

Now, Saturday's meeting between the two will be a bit bittersweet. Tiller is retiring after the season.

Who knows for sure about Paterno?

And with Tiller, the talk always is about how he came from the college football backwoods in Wyoming and forced his spread passing attack on the stuffy, unimaginative Big Ten. The league that liked to simply overpower you with its tailbacks and fullbacks and drop-back bombers.

Tiller figured he could shock some people and get the most out of his inferior talent by running a precise, scripted short passing game on almost every down.

Count Paterno among the initial doubters -- who was won over. Repeatedly over the years, he has credited Tiller as a revolutionary.

"I think Joe really changed the league around almost all by himself," Paterno said.

Now, finally, Tiller is more inclined to start digesting his journey -- one that produced surprising nine-win seasons and bowl victories and highly-acclaimed quarterbacks.

"Yeah, it really is enlightening when you look back

and see it," Tiller said. "It certainly was a different style of play than the league was used to. We enjoyed a honeymoon there for a couple of years before all these defensive coaches got together and started scheming."

Maybe the biggest compliment to the retiring coach, though, is how the rest of the league is using some variation of that offense he brought here all those years ago.

Even Paterno, who always preferred a more vanilla approach to offense, is not only using a spread attack but is doing it more effectively than most.

"He's a smart man," Tiller said with a laugh. "All guys named Joe are smart."

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