Joe Paterno has received a three year extension at Penn State, allowing him to remain as the head coach in Happy Valley until 2011. As someone who has always admired JoePa, this is thrilling news. It also helps that he is a friend of a relative of I Am The 12th Man.com. 

Given that Paterno is the winningest coach in D-I college football history, and someone who virtually has made Penn State's football program what it is today, I think JoePa deserves to coach there as long as he wants. When you define a program as Paterno has, you deserve to go out on your own terms.

In other coaching news, Buffalo has signed Turner Gill to an extension. This means that Iowa State has missed out on their chance to replace Gene Chizik with Gill. Speaking of Chizik, Auburn is now coming under fire for their hiring of Mean Gene, with accusations of racism being tossed about. Auburn alumnus Charles Barkely has even gotten involved:

Barkley said he talked with Gill and Gill was concerned he’d never be a serious candidate because his wife is white. Barkley, and a number of Gill’s peers in the coaching community, agreed, but encouraged him anyway. Apparently such marriages are still uncomfortable to university presidents, major boosters and assorted Klan members.

“He was concerned about having a white wife,” Barkley said. “It’s just very disappointing to me.”

If Auburn is letting the color of a coaching candidate's wife effect their hiring practices, they deserve every loss they have coming to them under Chizik. That is just freaking embarrassing.

In my opinion, after the 2009 football season is over, Gill and former Texas A&M offensive coordinator and current Houston head coach Kevin Sulmin will two of the most sought after head coaches by BCS schools.