Too Many Coaching Milestones Still Ahead for Penn State's Joe Paterno

When Penn State's Football Coach Joe Paterno addressed the media at yesterday's Big Ten Media Days he looked somewhat worn. He also entertained a question regarding his retirement from coaching, but don't count on it happening for a while—the 83 year old Paterno is too close to some monumental achievements.

All ready considered the winningest coach in history with 394 career wins, the numbers 400 and 408 are right around the corner.

400 is a milestone that could put an exclamation point on an historic career. In 44 years as head coach at Penn State, Paterno has won an average of nine games every year which is quite an accomplishment considering back in 1966 (Paterno's first year as Penn State's head coach) teams played a ten game regular season schedule.

400 wins, which he should reach this season, is a number by itself that will separate him even further from coaches like Bobby Bowden, Bear Bryant, and Amos Alonzo Stagg—all members of the 300 win club.

What does 408 mean?  It's the number of games Grambling's storied coach Eddie Robinson won in 57 consecutive years as head coach.  If Paterno can pass Robinson, he will be the undisputed holder of the Division one (1A & 1AA) record for career wins.

It's important for Paterno to get 409 career wins because, although he holds the moniker of the winning-est coach in college history,  there has always been a discrepancy over which wins could be counted toward the record.

36 of Bowden's career 389 wins came when he coached at Howard College in Alabama.  Howard, which has changed its name to Samford, is not a Division 1A school and these wins would not be counted if only Division 1A wins were accepted.

There has always been the argument that if Bowden got to claim his Howard College wins, Eddie Robinson should be considered the record holder.  Since the categories of Division 1A and 1AA weren't differentiated until the later part of the last century, supporters of Robinson have a good right to proclaim him as the all-time leader.

Win 409 career wins, Paterno could clear things up and he would be considered the un-opposed record holder of wins by a Division one coach.

There are a couple of other reasons for Paterno to keep coaching;  One would be a chance that Bowden would jump back in the ring. Schools like Central Florida and Alabama Birmingham might consider offering him their head coach position.

One couldn't make the argument that Bowden was too old (not with Paterno still coaching) and he could likely bring quality recruits to almost any school in the Southeast.

Paterno might want to keep coaching until he sets a win record that he considers unapproachable.

Another reason for Paterno to keep coaching has to do with his pursuit of a third National Championship. 

Penn State came very close in 2005 when they finished 11-1 and defeated Florida State in the Orange Bowl, and Penn State has won 51 games in the last five years—not too shabby!

With a 2010 schedule that includes games against Ohio State and Alabama, winning a National Championship probably won't happen this year, but until the coach gives up the hope of winning his third National Championship he will probably remain on the job.

If not a National Championship, maybe he'll lower his hopes slightly and a Big Ten Championship might be a good note on which he'd like to retire.

A lot of people who have followed Joe Paterno's incredible career would give you the impression that it would take a bulldozer to get him off the sidelines, but that wouldn't insure that he would retire.

A couple of years ago, after a Wisconsin player ran into him causing severe knee damage requiring surgery, Paterno ran the team from the press box.

When Paterno finally decides to call it quits it will be his call, and he'll go out with the dignity and respect only he deserves.