http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Despite three losing seasons in the last four years, Joe Paterno got a four-year contract extension from Penn State on Thursday that will take him past his 80th birthday, a decision that thrilled some Penn State fans and frustrated others.
"I'm stunned," said Bill Earley, a retired Wall Street executive and longtime Penn State booster now living in suburban Philadelphia. "I'd have been surprised with two years, but four? I'm flabbergasted."
Penn State went 3-9 last season, the worst record in Paterno's 39 seasons as head coach of the Nittany Lions. It was just the fourth losing season since Paterno joined the coaching staff in 1950.
Penn State didn't win a road game for the first time since the 1936 season, and finished below .500 in the Big Ten (1-7) for the first time since joining the conference for the 1993 season.
"I appreciate this extension and show of confidence in me and our football program," Paterno said in a statement. "I still enjoy coaching and I'm excited about the upcoming season and the incoming recruiting class."
In a statement, university president Graham Spanier praised Paterno's "success on the field, the graduation rate of his student athletes and the positive impact his players have made on society."
Terms of the deal were not released.
The contract for the 77-year-old Paterno was scheduled to end after the 2004 season and, because of Penn State's recent lack of success, many questioned if the coach would return.
"I don't know how anyone could say they did this thinking about the future. The data just doesn't support it," Earley said. "This is a decision not just for the next three to five years, but for five years beyond that."
But on the street in State College, the mood was very different. Some, like Penn State student Ricky Laderman, said they thought it was time for Paterno to go. Most, however, supported the decision to keep the venerable coach.
"He's brought us success in the past, and I'm sure he can do it again," said Tiffany Brown, who graduates this weekend.
Jim Brown, a 40-year-old university maintenance worker and no relation to Tiffany, also supported the extension.
"It's good for the university, and it's good for the program," Jim Brown said. "It will help him, if only for the high school kids who might be wondering whether Joe will step down in the middle of a season."
Paterno has repeatedly said he wants to continue coaching as long as he's healthy.
"Penn State's future is bright and we are determined to have a team which in the future will again be in the mix for a national championship," he said.
Paterno won national championships in 1982 and 1986 and has coached five undefeated teams. His overall record is 339-109-3, and he is second only to Florida State's Bobby Bowden in major-college wins.
Since Paterno took over as head coach in 1966, there have been 742 head coaching changes at NCAA Division I-A schools.
