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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State paid tribute Saturday to Joe Paterno on the 50th anniversary of his first game, despite criticism that the ceremonies are insensitive to victims in the universitys sex abuse scandal.Early in the second quarter in the matchup with in-state rival Temple, Beaver Stadium announcer Dean DeVore directed an announced 100,420 fans attention to two high-definition video boards for a two-minute video featuring highlights of Paternos career.Another video played in the third quarter, this one dedicated to Paterno and his widow Sue, and it featured their $4 million donation put toward expanding the library and local hospital.As soon as Paternos familiar image -- shirt and tie, thick glasses and rolled-up pants- appeared, fans erupted and kept cheering as DeVore read from a statement highlighting Paternos commitment to student-athletes and academics.Before he became head coach in 1966, Joe Paterno spoke about recruiting more football players who were exceptional students, DeVore said. He was determined to bring to Penn State students who could earn a world-class education and graduate and play football at the highest level.Paternos Grand Experiment, which placed emphasis on academics and proved athletes could also be top students, is a source of pride for Penn Staters who credit Paterno for giving the university an identity to be proud of.The weekends festivities, including a non-university event to commemorate the coach organized by Paternos family and former players on Friday night, have fueled debate over whether Paterno should be celebrated in any way after his role in the Jerry Sandusky scandal.Sandusky coached on Paternos staff for three decades until 1999. Paterno said before his death from lung cancer in 2012 that, with the benefit of hindsight, wished hed done more to stop Sandusky.In May, unsealed court documents said a victim complained to Paterno about Sandusky in 1976 and was rebuffed. The universitys president, Eric Barron, has said the allegation was not substantiated in court or tested by any other process.Sandusky was convicted on 45 of 48 charges in June 2012 and is serving a 30- to 60-year sentence. Paterno was never charged with a crime related to the scandal.Tom Kline, the attorney for the first of Sanduskys victims to reach a settlement with Penn State, said in a statement that those celebrating Paternos accomplishments should remain mindful of his role in the scandal.While Penn State has chosen to officially celebrate the achievements of Joe Paterno, of which there have been many, no one should forget the failings which caused so much pain and anguish to the victims of Jerry Sandusky who have suffered so much for so long, Kline said.Moving forward has proven a difficult challenge for Penn State, requiring leaders to balance distancing the university from the scandal while juggling the wishes of Paternos ardent supporters who believe he was a scapegoat.Prominent former players have led the defense of their coach, whose career included 409 victories, the most in college football history. But it ended with a phone call from the board of trustees who fired him amid the Sandusky scandal.Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Franco Harris said Friday that Penn States acknowledgment of Paternos achievements was a good first step but said hed like to see a formal apology to the Paterno family from the board of trustees.I dont tie the two together, Harris said Friday. Theres the board of trustees and theres Penn State. There should be an apology for the way they handled it. I think they handled it wrong and I think they got bad advice from the lawyers and the lawyers got it wrong and they handled it wrong.He and fellow Penn State star Lydell Mitchell stood at the site where a statue of Paterno was removed by the university shortly after the scandal broke and talked with fans before Saturdays game.Fans left bricks, homemade signs and took pictures. One woman wiped a tear from her eye as she placed a brick at the site about two hours before kickoff. 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Custom Cleveland Cavaliers Jerseys Cheap . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Exploding out of the blocks in lane eight, Wayde van Niekerk didnt see another runner during the entire Olympic 400-meter final.He didnt need to. It was just him against the clock.The South African sprinter broke Michael Johnsons 17-year-old world record on Sunday night in Rio de Janeiro, leaving two of the greatest one-lap runners of this era in his dust. Van Niekerk finished in 43.03 seconds -- 0.15 seconds faster than Johnson ran on Aug. 26, 1999 in Seville, Spain. To think, Johnsons mark was considered one of the almost untouchable records in track, too.I was running blind all the way, Van Niekerk explained. I thought someone was going to catch me -- whats going on, whats going on, and it gave me motivation to keep on pushing.The 24-year-old Van Niekerk leaned at the finish line, which he really didnt need to do as Kirani James of Grenada and LaShawn Merritt of the Unites States werent even in the picture. James, the defending Olympic champion, finished with the silver and Merritt, who won gold eight years ago in Beijing, hung on for bronze as he staggered across the line.Van Niekerk drove a wedge in the rivalry between James and Merritt at the world championships last August, when he beat them both with such a lung-searing performance that he left the track on a stretcher.Now, hes the fastest ever.Instead of collapsing at the finish this time, Van Niekerk dropped to one knee and put his head in his hands. Moments later, he draped the multi-colored South African flag around his shoulders and took off his spikes. As he did so, Van Niekerk pointed at the clock to make sure everyone saw his time.Hard to miss. It was that impressive.Even Usain Bolt thought so, seeking out Van Niekerk and congratulating him moments after the Jamaican won his unprecedented third 100 titlle.ddddddddddddThe compliments kept on coming with Johnson, a track and field TV analyst for BBC, weighing in as well.Oh my God! From lane eight, a world record. He took it out so quick, Johnson told the BBC. I have never seen anything from 200 to 400 like that.That was a massacre from Wayde van Niekerk. He just put those guys away.They didnt stand a chance. James thought he possibly had enough in the tank to catch Van Niekerk around the final curve. No way.No one did. This was really a race for silver, with James easily holding off Merritt, who had to dig deep to cling to the bronze.He just wouldnt slow down, James said. Usually, what happens is the last 100 (meters) guys start to slow down a little bit, but he just kept going. When you keep going like that, obviously a record is going to fall.Akani Simbine, who is Van Niekerk roommate in the Olympic Village, said his teammate was targeting the record.But we didnt bring it up much because thats just added pressure, you know, said Simbine, who finished fifth in the 100 final. He knows what he needs to do and we believe in what he can do.It was just a thing of, OK, he said hes going to do it, break the world record, and here he did it.A world record -- precisely what the sport needed in the wake of a Russian doping scandal that grabbed the headlines before the Olympics.A fast, fresh face -- also a boost since Bolt cant be around forever.Van Niekerk is so young, what else can he do? Can he go under 43 seconds? Johnson said. It is something I thought I could do, but never did. Usain Bolt will be retiring soon. This could be the next star of the sport.---AP Sports Writers Gerald Imray and Jenna Fryer contributed. ' ' '