At 80, Paterno still going strong

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By The Associated Press
Sunday, December 31, 2006

TAMPA, Fla. - Witty one moment, fussy the next.

Joe Paterno brought an entertaining act to the Outback Bowl, and now the real fun is about to begin.

The 80-year-old Penn State coach is determined to not let a broken leg keep him off the field when the Nittany Lions face No. 17 Tennessee on New Year's Day, so long as he feels he can do the job without being a distraction.

"I don't want to be on the sideline where everybody's worried about me because they've got to play a game," Paterno said. "They've got to concentrate on what's got to be done on the field and not worry about whether somebody might run over me."

Paterno hasn't been on the sideline for a game since Nov. 4, when two players collided with the coach during a loss at Wisconsin, breaking his shin bone and tearing two knee ligaments in his left leg.

He had surgery the following day, then missed a Penn State game for the first time since 1977, watching the team play Temple from home on Nov. 11.

A week later, he returned to Beaver Stadium and took in the season finale against Michigan State from the press box.

Paterno showed up for Monday's Outback Bowl in a jovial mood, clearly relishing the challenge of preparing the Nittany Lions (8-4) to face Tennessee (9-3), a team that appeared in a bowl game 16 consecutive seasons before going 5-6 in 2005.

He and Volunteers coach Phillip Fulmer shared the podium at the first press conference of the week, exchanging kind words about one another's program and touching on subjects ranging from the teams' previous meetings to Paterno's longevity.

Paterno, making a record 33rd appearance in a bowl game, is in his 41st season as head coach at Penn State.

Fulmer has guided Tennessee to a postseason game for the 14th time in 15 seasons, including a loss to the Nittany Lions in the 1994 Florida Citrus Bowl.

"His legendary record is one thing, but it's that he's done it the right way," Fulmer said, adding that he can't imagine any of today's brightest young coaches taking a job and remaining in the same position as long as Paterno or 77-year-old Florida State coach Bobby Bowden.

Fulmer said that dawned on him last offseason when a former college teammate sent him a tape of Tennessee's victory over Penn State in 1971, a game in which Fulmer faced Paterno as a player.

"It hit me because (the film) was black and white and because it was the game of the week, probably the only game of the week," Fulmer said, adding that there is so much more exposure for the college game these days.

"It's so scrutinized, and everybody's got the Internet, and everybody's got the talk shows. ... There's so much more involvement with trustees and boosters. ... Coach Paterno never had any of those issues until the last few years, and he's bounced back from those."

Paterno agreed.

"The whole environment has changed. Most of the coaches I know can handle the pressure of being in a place long enough, but I don't know that many athletic directors or presidents can," Paterno said.

"When there's pressure put on the university, the presidents or the athletic director, wherever it comes from, it's awfully tough for those guys to handle it. It really is. Because they need the money from boosters. At Penn State, I've been fortunate enough that I've outlived most of the boosters. I've buried many of the pain in the rear ends."

Paterno, who turned 80 on Dec. 21, said he goes about his business the same way he did 25 or 30 years ago because much of the routine of a college coach — from recruiting to preparation for games — has not changed.

Even with a broken leg, he isn't showing signs of slowing down.

"We live in a world where everybody wants to put somebody in a little bottle. Maybe I shouldn't be coaching at 80. I don't know," Paterno said.

"Sometimes I wake up in the morning, sometime in the middle of the night looking at Tennessee tape and I say: 'What the heck am I doing in this job? I could be sleeping and get up in the morning and walk around the block and not have to worry about it.' But it's fun. If I didn't enjoy it, I'd get out."