STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Perhaps it took an outsider, someone not of the insular world that is Penn State. Perhaps it took someone who still revered Joe Paterno but who wasn’t bound by the old coach’s example of grace, to go where no one else dared.

It was left to Nike chairman Phil Knight, the only one of the 12 speakers at the memorial service yesterday for the late Paterno who was not part of the Penn State community, to say what everyone else probably wanted to, but was too respectful of Paterno’s own well-known sense of decorum to actually say.

“There is a villainous tragedy,” Knight said, staring out at some 12,000 mourners, “that lies in that investigation, not in Joe Paterno’s response to it. … It leads me to this question: Who is the real trustee of Penn State University?”

Knight’s words struck the Bryce Jordan Center like a thunderclap, lifting the entire crowd to its feet for a roaring, standing ovation that lasted for several moments.

In a 2-hour, 15-minute service that otherwise hit all the expected notes — from the touching and humorous stories of a half-dozen of Paterno’s former players, to the heart-wrenching eulogy delivered by Paterno’s son, Jay — Knight was the only speaker who went anywhere near the scandal that, at least to the world beyond State College, tainted the 85-year-old coach’s legacy.

Elsewhere across the country, there might still be ambiguity toward Paterno, who died Sunday after a three-month fight with lung cancer. Elsewhere, folks might associate Paterno, the winningest coach in Division I history, with the child sex-abuse scandal that ripped apart the university and led to his ouster in November.

But here, where Paterno coached football for 61 years, the last 46 of those as head coach, and where he and his wife, Sue, became known as surrogate parents to the community, there is only love and reverence.

“He never took a compliment. He never thought he was the show,” said Kenny Jackson, a former all-America receiver and assistant coach under Paterno. “But today, my teacher, you have no choice. Today, we’re going to show you how much we love you.”

The tributes that followed were pitch-perfect: Speeches from one player from each of the six decades Paterno’s career spanned, along with video tributes and three other testimonials.

“He cherished honesty, effort, academics, sportsmanship and citizenship,” said 1960s-era halfback Charlie Pittman. “I was forged from that crucible. The life I’ve lived is one of Joe’s thousands of gifts to the world.”

The emotional high point of the service came at the end, when Jay Paterno strode to the microphone and delivered a eulogy full of poignant stories and forceful declarations.

“Joe Paterno,” Jay said, “left this world with a clear conscience.”

Jay Paterno spoke eloquently of his father’s final days, which he spent surrounded by his family.

“On Sunday morning, I … kissed him and whispered into his ear so only he could hear. I said, ‘Dad, you won. You did all you could do. You’ve done enough. We all love you. You won. You can go home now.’ ”