Penn State to formally honor Joe Paterno on Sept. 17

— -- STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State?will formally honor former head coach Joe Paterno -- for the first time since his 2011 firing -- ?during the team's game Sept. 17 against Temple, the university said within a news release Thursday.

The school will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Paterno's first game as head coach, which came against Maryland on Sept. 17, 1966, and resulted in a 15-7 win.

A spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of the commemoration, saying only that more details will be released on the Thursday prior to the game.

Paterno finished his career as the winningest coach in FBS history (409 victories), but he was fired in November 2011, in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Paterno died two months later, and his statue outside the stadium was removed the following summer.