Report: Paterno to have surgery on ailing hip and leg
Sports Network | October 31, 2008
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno will reportedly have surgery to repair his right hip and leg that has ailed him for much of this season.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Paterno will have the surgery performed after the Nittany Lions finish their season. He has been forced to work in the coaches' booth for much of the season after injuring himself on an onside kick attempt in practice in late August.
Paterno has led Penn State to 9-0 start, including a 5-0 mark in the Big Ten, and they currently hold the third ranking in the BCS poll. The Nittany Lions have not started 10-0 since going 12-0 in 1994, when the team finished second in the rankings.
The 81-year-old has coached at the school for 43 seasons and is the winningest coach in FBS history with a record of 381-125-3. Penn State is off this week and will travel to Iowa to face the Hawkeyes on November 8.
