Joe Paterno to return for yet another season
According to report published by The Associated Press on Tuesday 23 November, Joe Paterno plans to return to the Penn State sidelines to coach the Nittany Lions next season.
The announcement effectively ends any discussion regarding Paterno’s retirement, as the 2011 campaign will be Paterno’s 46th at the team’s helm.
The news comes as the Nittany Lions prepare for their regular-season finale this weekend, when they will host a tough Michigan State Spartans squad that is currently ranked No. 10 in the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) standings.
Paterno, whose Nittany Lions are 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten conference this season, has noted that his team’s struggles this year have been primarily caused by injuries and inexperience.
Nonetheless, the 83-year-old asserts that his decision to return to the team for yet another season is based upon the promise and potential he sees in his players.
“I’m looking forward to it,” the head coach said Tuesday during his weekly press conference at Beaver Stadium. “We’ve struggled a little bit this year, the youth and the injuries and the whole bit. But I think with a good spring and pre-season practice, we’re
going to be a good football team, and I’d like to [be] part of it.”
There have also been lingering questions surrounding Paterno’s health. However, he is apparently feeling better, though still recovering from an undisclosed off-season illness that was hampering him. Next season would mark the final year of Paterno’s current
deal, part of a three-year contract extension he signed back in 2008.
Viewed as the consummate players’ coach, a number of Penn State players voiced their approval of Paterno’s decision to come back in 2011. “He’s still vocal and energetic on the field,” linebacker Chris Colasanti said. “He still loves to come out and coach,
be vocal. He has fun with it, we see that and we feed off of that.”
When asked if he had always planned on returning to the Nittany Lions for another season, Paterno slyly replied, “Yeah, why you know something I don’t know?”
Tags: