Now that we know that Joe Paterno earns a salary of a little more than half a mil per annum (see this Post-Gazette article), which puts him in the bottom quartile of Big Ten coaches, we’re also finding out what he thinks about coaching beyond the end of his current contract, set to expire after the 2008 season. He wants to coach, “…maybe three, four, five more years as long as the good Lord keeps me healthy.”
“I think the perfect ending is you drop dead at the end of a game after you’ve kicked the winning field goal and you’re carried off the field and everybody is singing, ‘So long, Joe. It’s been wonderful.’ ”
This Turkey wonders how it will actually play out. One thing is for certain—the on-line grousing and grumbling will increase in volume and Paterno will be cast yet again as a stubborn, selfish old man, a drag on the program, bla bla bla, ad nauseam. Face it, folks: it’s hard to foresee there being much originality in the coverage this issue will get because it has been beaten to death repeatedly over the past decade. I challenge bloggists and legitimate journalists to come at this thing from new angles to keep us entertained instead of boring us to tears with the same old “Joe Must Go” crap.
As for this Turkey, I’m on the fence. While I’ve perceived a decline in coaching efficacy—from my admittedly naïve viewpoint—I also believe that Paterno has done a great deal to earn his elite status. He put this Penn State football program on the map. He personally funded a major library expansion. If indeed he has outlived his usefulness to the program, it is sad that he cannot see it. It brings to mind the end of Muhammad Ali’s boxing career: after losing to Leon Spinks, he gave us a brief flash of hope when he won the rematch, then was torn apart by Larry Holmes, and in his final fight, had nothing at all left for journeyman stumblebum Trevor Berbick. Joe gave us that false hope back in 2005, but he is now showing his age. He really should retire before he looks like Ali did with Holmes and Berbick, else he runs the risk of being remembered that way. But Paterno has shown that he gets what he wants from the administration at Penn State, so don’t bet against him dying with his boots on.
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JED says
High powered alumni is what brought about the demise of Cooper. So the out come of Joe will be all about the money. When Joe costs more than what he worth, the retirement will begin. The balance sheet is a tricky one, but don’t look for any National titles in the process. ( I hear Kohler is wonderful in the winter) Congrats’ on your brace, but may I warn you once again that smacking ones forehead with the palm of the hand may put you back to base one…..it’s going to be a long next few years!
The Nittany Turkey says
I agree with you on that completely. Paterno actually said in that same interview that PSU would be a strong competitor for a national title in 2008. I wondered which title he had in mind. Perhaps the title was Most Underachieving Team in The Division Formerly Known as I-A.
Thanks for the congratulations. I’ll temper the desire to smack myself in the forehead with massive doses of Vicodin.
—TNT
AltoonaTom says
“…Paterno will be cast as a stubborn, selfish old man ad nauseam. Face it, folks: it’s hard to predict much originality in the coverage this issue will get because it has been beaten to death over the past decade. I challenge bloggists and legitimate journalists to come at this thing from new angles to keep us entertained instead of boring us to tears with the same old “Joe Must Go†crap.”
There isn’t a lot of originality in the truth. It is what it is. Joe is a stubborn, selfish old man who controls the President and the Athletic Director – but can’t seem to control his own team. You know what’s getting old? The line that comes out every time his contract is up – “I’d like to coach for four or five more years”.
The Nittany Turkey says
I was just thinking about that same thing, Tom. If my memory is halfway accurate, Paterno has been uttering that “four or five more years” response with regularity every time a contract is close to expiring since about the time he turned 60.
Here’s another issue, though. Let’s assume that somehow Spanier and Curley manage to talk Joe into retiring. Will they be able to hire a topnotch head coach for what they’re paying Paterno? Probably not. They’d have to pay money competitive with what Ferentz and Tressel are making, which is 3-4 times Paterno’s salary. They’ve got a reputation for cheapness, so it could be out of the frying pan and into the fire when Joe leaves if the only HCs PSU could afford would be either Jay or Bradley. (Joe would probably try to make that a condition of his golden parachute, anyway.)
If and when the big change occurs, the slate needs to be wiped clean, but will it?
—TNT
Rogers Place says
No college coaches are worth millions a year. Even Joe’s 1/2 mil a year is too much.
The Nittany Turkey says
And that would be based on what? These head coaches are responsible for providing a product that must produce many times their salary in revenue. If universities could find head coaches in today’s market for $100K, they would; unless they were going to gamble on an untested, bargain basement coach with no track record, no appropriate talent would exist at that salary level. In fact, at any given time very few qualified head coaches are available—you can pretty much count them on the fingers of one hand. Pricing becomes Economics 101: supply vs. demand. Head coaches in premier programs generally make more money than university presidents. That’s because university presidents are a dime a dozen compared with top-tier head football coaches.
Sure, it sounds like a lot of money to us mere mortals. While I agree that it is hard to believe that Ferentz, for example, is worth over $2.8 million a year, it is up to the administration, not the fans, to make that determination. They have to live with the bottom line whereas we fans only care about what takes place on the field. Ferentz could well be worth the big bucks if his program meets its financial goals.
Returning to Paterno’s salary, PSU’s administration has lucked out in that they’ve been paying below market for quite a while. In view of this obvious salary compression, they will certainly need to adjust their expectations for head football coaching salaries in the post-Paterno era. The sticker shock will be brutal.
—TNT
The Nittany Turkey says
Heard on The Sports Reporters on ESPN this morning: “No wonder Joe wants to continue working at the age of 81—he needs the money!” While the premise was facetious and evoked memories of Latrell Sprewell turning down a $9 million NBA player contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves because he had to “feed his family,” it speaks to the disparity in Paterno’s salary versus the going rate. One of the reporters said, “Nick Saban is making $4 million and we don’t even know where he’s coaching next week!
Not only is Joe earning a fraction of the going rate for head football coaches at his level, but also he’s given back a lot to the university—several years’ salary in cash donations alone. You can criticize Joe for his coaching or for his stubbornness, but relative to his peers, you sure as hell can’t say he’s greedy.
—TNT
JED says
No ,Joe’s not greedy in any way shape or form ( hard headed yes, greedy no), but He’s not going to starve either. It’s like saying that the president lives on his salary alone. Joe gets a mill plus in endorsements and I don’t think he pays for many of things that you and I do. That being said , he’s pretty low in the salary list and that could be an important factor as the need to replace him .
The Nittany Turkey says
Those who are higher than Joe on the salary list get the other perks as well.
Go Stillers!
—TNT
JED says
Didn’t really say that the way I wanted. Perhaps Joe’s low salary is what keeps him around. The admin’ may think, “yes he’s a pain in the ass ,but, He’s done a lot for the school and he doesn’t cost much, and we would have to spend a bundle to replace him”
The Nittany Turkey says
I agree that’s a real danger. If Spanier and Curley haven’t figured that out yet, they’re overdue. When they start surveying the market, they’re going to get blown away by the astronomical numbers these guys are getting. But I can’t believe that they have their heads so far up their asses as not to have a clue already.
—TNT