The coordinator of Penn State's fearsome defense for 23 years, Sandusky ran with the winners in the high-pressure world of big-time college football.
And he lavished the perks of his success on young boys. He started a charity, The Second Mile, to help needy children and often befriended boys, giving them presents and access to the glamour of sports that even rich kids could only dream of.
In his 2001 autobiography, "Touched," Sandusky describes how he and his wife, Dottie, also adopted one of those boys from The Second Mile, his youngest son Matt, whom Sandusky met through the charity when the boy was seven or eight years old.
"He would be considered as something of an icon because of his contribution to the success of Penn State football," said Fran Fisher, a former play-by-play announcer and athletics fundraiser for Penn State, re ferring to the respect for Sandusky before the scandal became public.
Sandusky, 67, now faces 40 counts of sexual abuse of eight young boys recruited from The Second Mile.
"This is not a case about football, this is not a case against the university. this is a case of children having their innocence stolen from them," Pennsylvania Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said.
If convicted, Sandusky faces life in prison. His attorney has said he maintains he is innocent.
Known for his animated sideline behavior, Sandusky reveled in his image as a spontaneous coach with a wild side.
"I thrived on testing the limits of others and I enjoyed taking chances in danger," Sandusky says in the autobiography of a personality trait that began as a boy.
Sandusky was arrested on Saturday and released on $ 100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing to decide if the case will go forward was scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed.
"LINEBACKER U"
The son of a couple that ran a recreation center in Washington, Pennsylvania, Sandusky played football for four years at Penn State.
He spent 32 years as an assistant to head coach Joe Paterno and retired in 1999.
As defensive overseer, Sandusky dialed up blitzes and helped Penn State win national championships in 1982 and 1986. He was named assistant coach of the year in 1986 and 1999 by the American Football Coaches Association.
Sandusky was especially famed for making Penn State known as "Linebacker U." The team producing 10 All-Americans during his tenure, including future Pro Bowl players Matt Millen and LaVar Arrington .
Part of Sandusky's success stemmed from his insistence on fundamentals, such as keeping the shoulders square to the line and putting hands low to protect against blocks.
"The primary role of a linebacker coach is to be a good teacher. His major responsibility is to help young men to mature and develop as people and football players," Sandusky wrote in the introduction to his book "Coaching Linebackers the Penn State Way."
For his last home game as a coach, Sandusky drew a standing ovation from 96,000 fans at Penn State's Beaver Stadium against Michigan in November 1999.
Fittingly, in the Alamo Bowl the Nittany Lions beat Texas A&M 24-0 in Sandusky's last game as a Penn State coach.
The grand jury alleges that a child identified in the report as "Victim 4" made the trip to that bowl game as p art of Sandusky's family party.
"Sandusky did threaten to send him home from the Alamo Bowl in Texas when Victim 4 resisted his advances," the grand jury said. Victim 4 also traveled to the Outback Bowl the previous year.
"SOAP BATTLES"
The report alleges that Sandusky molested eight boys from as early as 1994 to 2009 and found his victims through The Second Mile, the charity he founded in 1977.
Some alleged victims frequently stayed overnight at Sandusky's home. Sandusky gave them presents, including a snowboard, Nike shoes, golf clubs, football jerseys, dress clothes and a computer, and took them to sporting events such as Philadelphia Eagles games and to church, the report said.
Sandusky is alleged to have had physical contact with the boys ranging from tickling and a "soap battle" in Penn State showers to oral and anal sex, according to the grand jury report.
As part of the retirement package negotiated with the university, Sandusky had complete access to Penn State football facilities, according to the report.
University police investigated Sandusky in 1998 after the mother of an 11-year-old boy, Victim 6, complained about Sandusky allegedly sharing a shower with him at a Penn State practice site, according to the grand jury.
With the woman's consent, detectives eavesdropped when she talked with Sandusky about the alleged incident, the report said.
After the mother told him he could not see the boy again, Sandusky said: "I understand. I was wrong. I wish I could get forgiveness. I know I won't get it from you. I wish I were dead."
The case was closed when the district att orney decided not to pursue charges, the report said.
Sandusky turned down offers of head coaching jobs, including one from Maryland. He told Sports Illustrated in 1999 he had stayed at Penn State because of his family, The Second Mile and the chance to succeed Paterno as head coach.
Sandusky and his wife have six adopted children -- Ray, E.J., Kara, Jeff, Jo, and Matt.
The Second Mile said on Monday that it barred Sandusky from programs involving children from 2008, when he told them he was under investigation.
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