Another said that when he finally told on Sandusky, nobody believed him at first. At school, he said, he was viewed as a bad kid and was admonished, "Jerry Sandusky has a heart of gold. He'd never do anything like that."

Even Joe Miller, a high school coach who said he walked in on Sandusky in a compromising position with a boy, didn't want to over think what he saw. Why?

"Jerry Sandusky was a saint," he testified.

Who are the accusers?

The accusers, as they are sometimes called, seemed to share common traits as boys - toothy grins, big eyes and wiry frames. Testimony has revealed a bit more about their personalities and their family histories. Three lived in public housing; three were sent to foster homes; one lived in a trailer with his mother, who worked in a sports bar.

Most never knew their fathers. School guidance counselors referred them to the Second Mile, and nearly all fell under Sandusky's sway during their second year in the program.

They grew up hiding their secrets. One went to Bible college, and another to prison. A third joined the Army National Guard. One is a father, another is about to become one. Most have obtained lawyers and are receiving counseling. In several cases, the first person they told about what they say happened to them was a girlfriend.

CNN generally does not identify the alleged victims of sex crimes and will continue to respect the young witnesses' wish for privacy. Their stories -- and allegations -- briefly follow:

Alleged Victim No. 1 is 18 and his case launched the investigation. His mother became alarmed when he started asking questions about where to find sex offender registries online. A wrestler who was good at math, he met Sandusky when he was 12, during his second year at Second Mile. He said Sandusky "cracked" his back and kissed him in 2005, and later initiated oral sex. He said he stayed at Sandusky's house more than 100 times. But as he grew more uncomfortable with the physical contact, he started to hide from the coach. His grades dropped, he lost interest in sports and he began wetting the bed and getting in fights.

No. 3 is tall and strapping and, at 25, already losing his hair. He is in the Army National Guard and spent a year in Iraq. He was referred to the Second Mile in 1998 from the Big Brothers program. He lived with his mother and a sister and "had no idea" where his father was. He said he spent the night at Sandusky's about 50 times between 1999 and 2001, and showered with him at the gym. Although he felt uncomfortable, he never complained. "I was enjoying the things I was getting too much." Those perks included seats at football games and nights spent playing pool, shuffleboard and video games. The relationship with Sandusky ended when he was sent into foster care. "I prayed he would call me and get me out of there, maybe adopt me, but he never did." He said he felt abandoned, "enraged and hurt."

At 28, No. 4 was the oldest to testify, and was the prosecution's first witness. He was referred to the Second Mile in 1996 or 1997 because he was having problems at home with his stepfather. He spoke in a calm, resolute manner, describing a long, close relationship with Sandusky in which he accompanied him to bowl games and appeared in coaching videos before pulling away and becoming involved in other programs. He said Sandusky treated him like a son in front of others, but like a girlfriend when they were alone. He cited repeated instances of oral sex. When he tried to distance himself from Sandusky, prosecutor McGettigan said, the coach acted like a teenager going through a painful breakup. The young man kept Sandusky's letters and gifts, which were shown to the jury.

No. 5, who is 23, was referred to the Second Mile to improve his English, and attended from 1999 to 2001. He never spent the night in the Sandusky home, but worked out with him at Penn State. He said Sandusky exposed himself in the sauna in 2001, when he was 13. He cried as he recounted how Sandusky threw soap on him in the shower, pressed his body against his back and forced him to touch his genitals. He squirmed away, which appeared to anger Sandusky. Sandusky never called him again.

Tall, good looking and impeccably dressed, No. 6 recently graduated from a Bible college and lives in Colorado. He was an avid, 11-year-old Penn State football fan when he was referred to the Second Mile in 1998; he is now 25. It was a thrill for him to meet Sandusky, who invited him to work out in 1998. He recounted a bear hug in the showers, but said he has blacked out what happened and doesn't even remember getting home that day. He said it made him uncomfortable, "But it was Jerry Sandusky, and I didn't want to make him mad." He did not spend time alone again with Sandusky, but continued to go to nearly every Penn State home game for several years. "I feel violated," he said. "I've gone through a lot of emotional roller-coaster."

No. 7, now 27, was having problems in school when he was referred to the Second Mile. He got to know Sandusky in 1995 and started going to Penn State games with him the next year, which he thought was "pretty cool." He said not much was going on "in my home life," so going to the games was "very, very special to me." He remembers being groped and caressed by Sandusky, and rolling away from him and trying to avoid contact. He was hurt when Sandusky cooled toward him. "He had favorites and they got special treatment. I was pretty upset about it and I was resigned to the fact that I would go to Penn State games and that would be it."

No. 9 is 18, and was referred to the Second Mile in 2005. He lived in a trailer with his mother, who worked in a bar. His dad "wasn't around," he said. Tall and thin, almost gangly, the teen wore a white shirt and dark tie on the stand. An injured eye was covered with a medical patch. He said he agreed to hang out with Sandusky because "he was a well-known guy and he seemed nice." He testified that Sandusky performed oral sex on him and sodomized him in the basement bedroom. He cried out, but no one could hear. He said Sandusky told him he loved him, which he thought was "creepy and gross, but I was a kid, so what did I know?" Still, he spent nearly every weekend with the coach until 2008.

Now 25, No. 10 was huskiest of the accusers. He was referred to the Second Mile in 1997. He said his father was "out of the picture." He said Sandusky attacked him the next year in the basement, performing oral sex on him while they wrestled, and attempting again in a silver sports car. He estimated he and Sandusky engaged in oral sex about five times over two years. He said Sandusky threatened him that he'd stay in foster care and never see his family again if he told anyone. He has spent time in state prison for robbery.

Perks, with strings attached

Sandusky supplied the boys with tickets to football games, locker room visits with the team, athletic gear and, perhaps most important of all -- attention. He bought several of them gifts, including sports gear, jerseys, games and computers. He even bought one boy dress clothes so he could accomany the Sandusky family to church.

It made kids who had little going for them feel "cool," as several of the young men testified.

"He made me feel like I was part of something, like a family," said No. 3, who said he spent the night at Sandusky's home and was fondled many times on the basement waterbed. Why did he put up with it?

"He gave me things that I had never had before. I just didn't want to give any of it up." He said he loved Sandusky, who told him "that he loved me, that I was unconditionally loved, like a family."

It was something No. 3 said he wasn't getting at home.

Sandusky made the others feel special, loved and important as well. But as the eight young men said last week in court, it came at a price. Jokes and "touchy-feely" hugs turned into wandering hands, they said, and in most of the cases, something much more sexual. Sandusky did not ask permission, the witnesses said. And they didn't voice their objections. Some tried to squirm away. Others simply shut down mentally and "just rolled with it," as one witness said.

Water became a common theme -- groping down shorts in a swimming pool, naked bear hugs and soap fights in a locker room shower, goodnight cuddling and more on the basement waterbed.

It usually began in the car, on the way to football games, tailgate parties and family picnics, according to testimony. Sandusky's hand would find a boy's knee, they said. He would squeeze and let the hand linger.