Ready For More ; Paterno Says He'll Be Back On Sideline Next Season

Sports Staff

In 2011, Penn State will be a young football team with an oldcoach.

Again.

Joe Paterno said Tuesday he plans to return next season.

"I've never indicated to anybody that I'm not coming back,"Paterno said, during his portion of the Big Ten's weekly coaches'teleconference. "I've not thought about getting out of it."

He turns 84 in December. Next season will be his 61st at PennState and 46th as head coach. He has an unprecedented 401 major-college wins.

Despite those numbers, no one is surprised. Amazed, perhaps, butnot surprised.

"What's news about that?" longtime Paterno assistant Tom Bradleysaid during a break from watching film Tuesday.

"I guess people ask about it because of all the conspiracytheorists out there, but among (the staff), it never comes up.

"It's business as usual around here. Trust me, we'll be gettinghell (from Paterno) about something tomorrow morning, like always."

Bradley's right. Theories abound. If you believe half of what youread on the Internet, Joe's been retired more often than BrettFavre. If you believe the other half, he won't quit until God stepsin.

But he stays on, and Tuesday he cited three reasons:

1. The promise of the team and program. Penn State (7-4, 4-3 BigTen) has been beaten four times by 20 points or more, a first underPaterno. The Nittany Lions will be slight underdogs when they faceMichigan State (10-1, 6-1) Saturday (noon, Beaver Stadium, ESPN).

But this was supposed to be a rebuilding year, and building hastaken place. Penn State has won four of its last five. It loses justeight seniors, only one of whom, offensive lineman StefenWisniewski, does not have an obvious replacement on the currentroster.

As Paterno has said often this fall, the roster includes 59freshmen and sophomores.

"Now's not the time to go," Paterno said. "We've got a youngteam. They may not be there yet, but they will be soon."

2. Paterno's renowned commitment to academics and "doing it rightway," was ratified when it was announced Tuesday that three NittanyLions -Wisniewski, defensive lineman Pete Massaro and linebackerChris Colasanti - were named first-team ESPN Academic All-Americansin voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

It's the third straight year that Penn State has led the countrywith three first-teamers.

"Part of the goals we set out for these kids when they come in isto do a good job academically," Paterno said.

"It's always good to have a couple of kids stand out as thesethree kids are, all of whom are good, solid people."

3. The utter cooperation of the Penn State administration.

That may not always have been the case. Six years ago, when theprogram was at a Paterno-Era nadir, PSU president Graham Spanier andathletic director Tim Curley famously went to Paterno's house tourge him to step down.

My, how things have changed.

A reporter started a question to Paterno Tuesday, "You said youhope to be back next year..." and the coach stopped him.

"I didn't say hope, but that's all right..."

The question was whether retirement is, or will be, Paterno'scall and his alone.

"I don't think it's entirely my call," he said. "I'm not runningthe university."

(Insert joke here.)

"I would hope that what I want to do would be taken intoconsideration and go from there," he added.

As a small example of that, Paterno mentioned that thedormitories on campus are currently closed for Thanksgiving break,but he asked the University to open them Friday, so students couldcome to the game and stay the night.

Done.

"It's been a good situation," he said. "And I don't see anyreason to leave it right now."

Others disagree. The hard evidence they cite involves recruiting.Paterno doesn't leave Happy Valley any more to do it, and Penn Statehas only five verbal commitments from the high school class of 2011.

Most of the national powers have 3 to 4 times that many.

Paterno addressed that briefly Tuesday, mentioning, as he oftendoes, the "hoopla," that surrounds him wherever he goes in public.

"Sometimes you can't get in to see all (recruits) with the sameintensity that you see some of them," Paterno said. "I've alwaysbeen reluctant to make some guys feel more important than others."

That's also one reason, he has said, why he doesn't spend muchtime at his office in the Lasch Football Building on campus: He's arock star.

In the national mind, he's become to longevity what McDonald's isto hamburgers.

The college football web site, "Every Day Should be Saturday,"had a post Tuesday headlined, "Joe Paterno vows to outlive nation ofNorth Korea."

Under it was a photo of a smiling JoePa with the caption, "PennState football coach Joe Paterno laughs as he is told of outlivingyet another doomed pseudocountry."

So he stays. On and on and on.