Joe Paterno Fired: Penn State Coach Joins Bobby Bowden, Barry Switzer, Other Coaches Who Have Fallen From Grace

Former Penn State football Joe Paterno once famously said he didn't want to retire and leave college football in the hands of "The Jackie Sherrill's and Barry Switzer's."

Sure enough, Joe Paterno coached after both were gone from the college game. Preaching the "Penn State Way," Paterno outlasted Sherrill by eight years and Switzer by more than two decades. But, unexpectedly, Paterno now finds himself experiencing the unceremonious dismissal generally reserved for the sorts of renegade coaches that he had long tried to distinguish himself from.

Having been relieved of his duties in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal rocking Penn State, Paterno has entered a small club of elite college football coaches who ended heralded careers under less-than-proud circumstances.

In each case, a successful coach either resigned or was dismissed as a result of placing the football program above common ethics. Among the core principals the NCAA claims to tout is a commitment to "the highest levels of integrity and sportsmanship."

Here are other highly-successful coaches who didn't leave the game with the dignity in proportion to their on-field accomplishments.