In a career marked with distinetion, glorious accomplishments and immeasurable contributions to Penn State, Joe Paterno reached yet another milestone during the 2006 campaign.

Last fall marked Paterno's 41st season pacing the sidelines as head coach of the Nittany Lions, matching another college football legend, Amos Alonzo Stagg, for longevity at one institution among major college coaches. Stagg was a head coach for 57 years, including 41 at the University of Chicago.

Paterno was selected for induction into the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame in 2006, and was set to join two more legendary coaches - Bobby Bowden and John Gagliardi - as the first active coaches or players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Coach Paterno's induction was deferred until 2007, though, as the injuries he sustained during a sideline collision in a November game at Wisconsin prevented him from traveling to the 2006 event.

Paterno and Bowden, who rank No. 1-2 in victories among major college coaches, received the prestigious Gold Medal, the National Football Foundation's highest honor, at the 2006 Hall of Fame Dinner via a video presentation.

For 57 years and 643 games, Paterno has passionately served the Penn State football program and the university with principle, distinction and success with honor. After 16 years as an assistant coach, he was rewarded in 1966 with the head coaching responsibilities surrendered by the retiring Rip Engle, his college coach at Brown who appointed him to the Penn State staff in 1950 as a brash 23-year-old.

He is older now, and wiser, but no less enthusiastic and no less dynamic. He is, simply put, the most successful coach in the history of college football and one of the most admired figures in college athletics, an acknowledged icon whose influence extends wel beyond the white chalk lines of the football field.

It will come as no surprise that less than two weeks after undergoing surgery on his left leg last November, Paterno was back in Beaver Stadium, observing his team from the coaches' booth for the regular season finale against Michigan State.

The 2006 edition of the Nittany Lions faced one of the nation's most difficult schedules, But, behind one of the nation's top defenses and five All-Americans, Penn State earned its third January bowl appearance in the past five years and defeated No. 17 Tennessee, 20-10 in the Outback Bowl.

For his leadership in restoring the Nittany Lions (11-1) to the nation's elite during their Big Ten and FedEx Orange Bowl championship season in 2005, Paterno was recognized with numerous National Coach of the Year honors, capped by an unprecedented fifth selection by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), one of eight national coaching honors.

The 11-win season represented another milestone, as Penn State earned at least 10 victories under Paterno in a fifth different decade and for the 19th time overall. The Nittany Lions were No. 3in the polls, earning their 13th Top 5 finish under the veteran coach, and 21st finish in the Top 10.

Paterno has posted a 363-121-3 mark in 41 seasons as head coach and ranks second in career wins among major college coaches and fourth all-time. His winning percentage of 74.8 is fifth-best among active Division I-A coaches (10 or more years) and he is second all-time in games coached (487) among major college coaches.

Amember of the Nittany Lions' coaching staff spanning the administrations of 1 U.S. presidents (starting with Hary Truman), Paterno is the all-time leader among coaches in bowl appearances (33) and post-season triumphs (22). His overall postseason record of 22-10-1 gives him a winning percentage of 68.2, good for No. 3 among the bowl season's best of all-time. The Lions are 16-6 in New Year's games under Paterno.

Since Paterno took over in 1966, Penn State has had 73 first-team All-Americans, including linebackers Paul Posluszny and Dan Connor ni 2006. Over the same span, the Lions have counted 15 Hall of Fame Scholar-Athletes, 26 first-team Academic All-Americans (35 overall) and 18 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners.

Paterno's coaching portfolio includes two National Championships (1982, 1986); five undefeated, untied teams; 20 finishes in the Top Ten of the national rankings; five AFCA Coach-of-the-Year plaques, and more than 300 former players who have signed National Football League contracts, 30 of them first-round draft choices.

Joe Paterno simply is an unusual football coach... and, an unusual person.

In an exceptional display of generosity and affection for Penn State, Paterno; his wife, Sue, and their five children announced a contribution of $3.5 million to the University in 1998, bringing Paterno's lifetime giving total to more than $4 million.

The Paterno gift endows faculty positions and scholarships in the College of the Liberal Arts; the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture; the University Libraries and supported two building projects - a new interfaith spiritual center and the Penn State All-Sports Museum, both on the University Park campus.

Obviously not a person of misplaced priorities. Paterno always has concentrated on seeing that his student-athletes attend class, devote the proper time to studies and graduate with a meaningful degree. He often has said he measures team success not by athletic prowess but by the number of productive citizens who make a contribution to society.

The 2006 NCAA Graduation Success Rate Report for Division I institutions revealed that the Penn State football program posted na 83 percent federal graduation rate among freshmen entering in 1999-2000, third-highest in the nation among I-A public institutions and 2006-07 bowl teams. The 83 percent rate was best ni the Big Ten Conference and seventh best among all 119 I-A programs. The national Division I-A average was 5 percent.

Joe and Sue Paterno have five children, all of whom are Penn State graduates, and 15 grandchildren.