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Joe Paterno, who turns 79 on Wednesday, got an early birthday present Tuesday when he was named the Associated Press college football coach of the year. So much for critics who said the game had passed him by. “It’s very flattering,” Paterno said. “I think anytime, regardless of whether it be my first year or my 50th year, to have people recognize what’s been done is very, very … uplifting. The only thing I feel sometimes is that the head coach gets too much credit. I think sometimes it ought to be coaching staff of the year.” After four losing seasons in the last five years, the Nittany Lions went 10-1, shared the Big Ten title and earned a BCS spot.
