But the approach to another milestone moment for the 84-year-old Paterno has been tinged with a sense of unease because of whispers about his future, and about the program he has built in 46 seasons as coach.  “We’re not going to respond to any speculation on what the future might be,” Tim Curley, Penn State’s athletic director, said in a telephone interview. “We’re enjoying the season, and hopefully we can get a win and celebrate a nice thing for Coach. But we just can’t get caught up in it right now. We’ll cross whatever bridge when we get there.”  Paterno is one win from earning his 409th victory and passing Eddie Robinson, the coach at Grambling State for 55 seasons, for the most career Division I victories. The 21st-ranked Nittany Lions (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) host Illinois (6-2, 2-2) on Saturday.  The Nittany Lions have fattened up with victories against the likes of Indiana State, Eastern Michigan and Indiana, their lone loss coming to No. 2 Alabama on Sept. 10. All the while the questions about Paterno have loomed over the team.  Paterno’s contract expires at the end of this season, and Penn State administrators have said they will evaluate his status, as is customary, when the season is over. Paterno has shown no signs of wanting to step aside, even though he injured his right shoulder and pelvis when he was accidentally leveled by a player in a preseason practice.  Worried about being run over again, and about becoming a distraction, Paterno has coached at least half of every game from the press box. The sight of Paterno watching from afar has seemed to perpetuate a notion of his aloofness.  “I don’t think it’s affected the chance for the football team to get better because of the staff,” Paterno told reporters Tuesday. “I’ve turned over things to the staff at times where I used to get in there and mix it up with the kids a little bit, which I hope I’ll get back to.”  In the past 10 years, Paterno has added new bullet points to his long, distinguished résumé. He earned his 324th win in 2001, passing Bear Bryant of Alabama for most wins at a major program. Last season, Paterno won his 400th game.  Paterno and Robinson trail only John Gagliardi for wins at any level of college football. Gagliardi has accumulated most of his 481 victories at St. John’s, a Division III university in Collegeville, Minn. Gagliardi is in his 59th year as coach of the Johnnies.  But Paterno’s coaching from the press box has given rise to questions about his involvement. Penn State’s players said Paterno’s sideline status had no impact on them.  “Joe’s the coach,” said receiver Devon Smith, who collided with Paterno on the sideline this summer while diving to make a catch. “He’s the head coach of the team, so you hear from him. Him not being on the sideline doesn’t affect anybody on the team.”  The uncertainty regarding Paterno has fueled speculation among fans and in the news media about possible successors, but no one has been publicly designated.  The notion of forcing Paterno to step aside is a thorny one at Penn State. He has helped build the university, not only the football program, having donated with his wife more than $4 million to the library that now bears their name. He has never shown a hint of wanting to step aside, even when, in 2004, the university administrators asked him to do so.  “I want him to go out the right way,” Todd Blackledge, the quarterback of Penn State’s 1982 national title team, said by telephone earlier this year. “I’ve always said I think he’s earned the right to decide when he wants to stop. I just hope he’ll know that clearly.”  There is perhaps no current coach who can relate to Paterno’s situation better than Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer. At 65, Beamer is nearly 20 years younger than Paterno, but he has led the Hokies since 1987, and he has no plans to retire.  Beamer, whose 247 wins rank second to Paterno’s among active coaches, said he would know when to step aside. He will also rely on his wife and his close advisers to be honest enough to tell him when it is his time.  “It’s going to be difficult for anyone when you hang it up,” Beamer said in a telephone interview. “You look forward to the fall and look forward to getting the team together and getting the chemistry right, then you don’t have that challenge anymore.”  Paterno has long said that he, too, would know when it is his time. And the dynamic is such at Penn State that it has seemed only he will make the decision to step aside.  For now, the Nittany Lions are in the hunt for a conference championship, and with one more victory, Penn State will be in for another celebration of Paterno’s career. But the questions about the future in Happy Valley will probably not stop any time soon.
Coach Joe Paterno, 84, is one victory away from surpassing Eddie Robinsonâs record for Division I football victories.