George Paterno, longtime Penn State football broadcaster and brother of Coach Joe Paterno, died today at Centre Community Hospital in State College. He was 73.

George Paterno's health had declined earlier this year and he was brought to State College to be closer with Joe and Sue Paterno and their family. George suffered a heart attack on Tuesday and remained in critical condition until passing away.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Paterno family," said Tim Curley, Penn State Director of Athletics. "We have lost a close friend in George Paterno. He was a great supporter of the football program and Penn State. George brought a special perspective on the team to our television and radio broadcasts and had a sizeable and loyal following among our fans. He was informative and entertaining on the air and just a great person to be around. George had a wonderful career as a teacher, coach and broadcaster. He will be missed by the many, many people whose lives he impacted."

George Paterno became affiliated with Penn State Football radio and television broadcasts as an analyst in 1976, one year after retiring as head football coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. From 1976-99, Paterno provided a unique perspective on Nittany Lion broadcasts.

Paterno joined the Total Communications Systems network of television stations for the 1976 season as an analyst on delayed broadcasts of Penn State games. He worked with play-by-play announcers Ray Scott (1976-81) and Stan Savran (1982-87). In 1988, George moved over to the radio booth, working with play-by-play announcers John Sanders (1988-89) and Bill Zimpfer (1990-93) on the Penn State Sports Network.

Paterno is best remembered for his six years working alongside Fran Fisher, who returned to the microphone for the1994 season, having previously called the Nittany Lions on radio from 1966-82. From 1994-99, Paterno and Fisher kept Nittany Lion fans informed and entertained on the Penn State Sports Network, calling the action for Penn State's 12-0 Rose Bowl season in '94 and four consecutive New Year's Day bowl victories.

Paterno and Fisher's final game together was Penn State's 24-0 blanking of Texas A&M in the1999 Alamo Bowl. They retired prior to the 2000 campaign and were replaced by the current radio team of Steve Jones and Jack Ham.

"A close friend of Penn State, of college football, and of mine, I will miss him very much," said Fran Fisher, long time broadcast partner of Paterno.

Born and raised in Brooklyn with his older brother and younger sister, Florence, George and Joe were standouts on the gridiron at Brooklyn Prep, earning the nickname, "The Gold Dust Twins." A talented running back, George was named to the All-Metropolitan New York Team all three years of varsity competition.

The brothers matriculated to Brown University and continued their academic and athletic exploits. With Joe at quarterback and defensive back and George at fullback, they were instrumental in leading Brown to a pair of the greatest seasons in program history, compiling records of 7-2 and 8-1 in 1948 and '49, respectively, under Coach Rip Engle.

George led the Bears in rushing in 1949 with 480 yards on 88 attempts, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and scoring three touchdowns. He also had four kickoff returns for 102 yards.

After graduating from Brown in 1950, George Paterno joined the U.S. Marine Corps for a two-year stint. He then joined the New York Police Department, where he worked in the Youth division for almost five years. Paterno then returned to Brooklyn Prep as a faculty member and assistant football coach, helping Prep earn two undefeated seasons during his four-year tenure.

Paterno moved on to Clarke High School in East Meadow, N.Y., where he joined the faculty and was an assistant football coach for two years, helping the squad to a 14-2 record.

In 1964, George returned to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy as an assistant football coach and one year later he was named head coach of the Mariners. He directed Kings Point to a 46-32-3 record over nine seasons (1965-68 and 1971-75), interrupted by a two-year stint as a defensive coordinator at Michigan State under Duffy Daugherty. His 1968 Mariner squad was 8-1, the best ever in the 38 years of the Kings Point program. Among Paterno's biggest victories was a 16-6 decision over Hofstra in 1966 that ended a 15-year Hofstra winning streak in the series. He remains the most successful coach in Academy history.

Paterno left the sidelines following the 1975 season and served as an associate professor in physical education at Kings Point prior to being named Assistant Athletic Director in 1982. A year later, he was named the acting Athletic Director, remaining in the position until 1986.

Paterno lived in Southampton, N.Y. for many years before coming to State College earlier this year.

Memorial services in the State College area will be held Tuesday, June 25, at 1 p.m. at Our Lady of Victory Church. Services in Kings Point, N.Y., will be held on Wednesday, June 26, at 2 p.m. at the Mariners' Memorial Chapel on the campus of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

Memorial donations may be made to the George E. Paterno Memorial Scholarship Fund in the College of Communications at the Penn State University and the George E. Paterno Memorial Scholarship Fund in Athletics at Brown University.