Penn State Football News

01-04-07

Paterno Earns Spot on "Late Show" Top Ten List

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., January 4, 2007 – Fresh off Penn State’s 20-10 Outback Bowl victory over No. 17 Tennessee, Coach Joe Paterno earned a spot on Wednesday’s Top Ten list on "The Late Show with David Letterman" on CBS.

Paterno earned the No. 3 spot in the category, "Top Ten Signs You're Watching Too Much College Football," with the answer "Always asking, 'What would Joe Paterno do?'"

To view the Top 10 list, go to: http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/

The all-time leader in bowl victories (22) and appearances (33), Paterno also was recently honored with his selection as the coach of the “All-Mayday Team,” as selected by ESPN college football analyst Mark May. May chose the coach and members of the team on the basis of toughness and determination they have exhibited during the 2006-07 season.

Paterno sustained a fractured shin bone and two torn knee ligaments in a sideline collision during the Nov. 4 game at Wisconsin. He underwent surgery the following day and coached from the coaches’ booth in the press box for the Nov. 18 season finale with Michigan State. Paterno was able to walk as he participated in the Nittany Lions’ Outback Bowl practices last week in Tampa, but on gameday chose to coach from the press box due to a wet field and rainy conditions for the game.

Paterno concluded his 41st season as head coach of the Nittany Lions by improving his bowl record to 22-10-1 (68.2), including a 16-6 mark in New Year’s bowl games. He is second in all-time victories among major college coaches and fourth in wins across all four NCAA divisions. A member of the Penn State coaching staff for 57 years, he owns a 363-121-3 (74.8) career record. Paterno has led Penn State to national championships in 1982 and '86 and five unbeaten and untied seasons (1968, '69, '73, '86, '94).

A 1950 graduate of Brown University, Paterno also has produced more than 300 NFL players, 73 first team All-Americans, 35 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans (26 first team), 15 National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Scholar Athletes and 18 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners during his legendary career.

Paterno was selected the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Coach of the Year for an unprecedented fifth time in 2005 after leading Penn State to an 11-1 record and the Big Ten and FedEx Orange Bowl titles. He will be inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in December.

Paterno and his wife, Sue, have contributed more than $4 million to Penn State for several academic and athletic building projects and to endow scholarships and faculty positions.

The Nittany Lions return 15 starters (8 offense, 6 defense and 1 specialist) for the 2007 season.

Source: Penn State Sports Information Department