STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State plans to formally honor the late Joe Paterno on Saturday by having the co-captains from his first Nittany Lions team participate in the coin toss and by airing video presentations on the impact to student-athletes, the university said Thursday.?Penn State announced on Sept. 1 that it planned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Paternos first game at the school -- a 15-7 win over Maryland on Sept. 17, 1966 -- but declined to provide any details at the time.?The decision to honor the longtime coach sparked widespread debate. Paterno was fired in 2011 amid the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandalThe Nittany Lions host Temple on Saturday at noon. ?Current Penn State coach James Franklin sidestepped questions Tuesday about the event, saying, All of those decisions, like Ive stated before, theyre for the administration. Our focus is on Temple.In a written statement Thursday, athletic director Sandy Barbour said, Coach Paterno wanted academic success not only for his players but also for every student who came through Penn State. Together with his wife, Sue, they helped countless students become leaders and earn a Penn State diploma. Our plans are consistent with the wishes of the Paterno family as well, with a focus on the players and their accomplishments at Penn State and beyond.Mike Irwin and John Runnells, captains of the 1966 team, will be hand on for the coin toss. Barbour said further in-game introductions of players will take place, along with video presentations on the impact to student-athletes.A Penn State spokesperson declined to comment further.The Paterno Foundation, which is not affiliated with the university, announced earlier this week that several hundred former Nittany Lions football players are expected to attend a private event Friday to celebrate the coachs career. The event will take place at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, which is near Beaver Stadium.Sue Paterno announced plans for the lettermen reunion last November.Warren Hartenstine played on Paternos first team in 1966 and was one of a handful of former players to help the Paterno family organize Fridays reunion. As he prepared to leave his Maryland home for State College on Thursday, he described his emotions in a telephone interview with the Associated Press. He said he understands and accepts that Paterno has become a polarizing figure.Coach Paterno, I think in many ways was naive about everything in the world except football and human growth, Hartenstine said. We were the fulfillment of what his lifes goals were. He adopted my family, my college roommates, everyone. You were just very special to him. How to respond to the accusations? Theres a sense of impossibility about it.But Hartenstine said he doesnt consider the reunion a celebration of Paterno. Rather, its about recognizing the achievements of players who were a part of the coachs Grand Experiment that placed an emphasis on academics.The emphasis has been not so much on Joe Paterno, Hartenstine said. This is about the men of the Grand Experiment. (Sue Paterno) repeats it over and over again that the accomplishments of lettermen are what this is a celebration of. I shouldnt even say lettermen. There are walk-ons that were there, some on our team, who put in their four years and worked, very, very hard.In May, unsealed court documents revealed that an alleged Sandusky victim said he complained to Paterno about the former assistant coach in 1976 and was rebuffed. University president Eric Barron has said the allegation was not substantiated in court or tested by any other process.Paterno was never charged with a crime related to the scandal.Paterno finished his career as the winningest coach in FBS history with 409 victories, but he was fired in November 2011, shortly after his former defensive coordinator, Sandusky, was arrested for child sexual abuse.Paterno died in January 2012 of lung cancer. The university removed his iconic statue from outside the stadium six months later. Sandusky was convicted on 45 of 48 charges in June 2012 and is currently serving a 30- to 60-year sentence.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Authentic Javon Wims Jersey . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Cheap Bears Jerseys . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. 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Duncans retirement announcement on Monday means both icons will be gone next year, a generations two biggest stars concurrently saying farewell.Consider how they ruled from separate kingdoms: From 1999 to 2014, either Bryant or Duncan played in the NBA Finals in all but three years. (Dwyane Wade played in each of the other three.)?Both are staples in the modern-era NBA Mount Rushmore. Along with John Stockton, they played the longest for a single team.?But comparing them head-to-head wholly and objectively is tricky. Kobe is one of the games most polarizing players ever. He never had Duncans organizational stability. Duncan, the humble craftsman, was never reliably marketable, nor overwhelmingly popular.So you tell us: Whose legacy is better? Below the poll is a little more info to help you make your decision.A case for Kobe:The edge in career scoring, assists, steals, 3s and free-throw percentageTwo Olympic gold medalsA global impact culturally and economicallyAn unquantifiable ruthlessness18-12 record against Duncan in the playoffsMore All-Defensive First Teams; more All-NBA First Teams; more All-Star Game MVPsSuccessfully defended a title three times81-point gameTim on Kobe: He was someone you had to keep an eye on, you had to worry about, you had to fear, because he was going to bring it.ddddddddddddA case for Tim:The edge in career rebounds, blocks, win share, VORP and PERMore MVPs; more Finals MVPsNever missed the playoffs in 19 seasonsStarted and played more games despite four years in college31-21 record against Bryant in the regular season#NBARank No. 1 all-time power forward ever; #NBARank No. 8 all-time NBA playerWon titles across three decades21/20/10/8 in a title close-out gameKobe on Tim: More cutthroat than people give him credit for. I loved everything about him on the court.A complete breakdown of their career statistics can be found here.[Credit: All photos Getty] ' ' '