Men generally do not like neckties for gifts, but here’s one that must have been worthwhile for someone:

The necktie that Joe Paterno wore during his 400th victory last fall fetched $10,200 at a charity auction last weekend to benefit Penn State Public Broadcasting.

JoePa wore the tie on Nov. 6 at Beaver Stadium when his Nittany Lions rallied from a 21-0 deficit for a 35-21 victory – Paterno’s 400th victory as a head coach. That's Joe at left taking a victory ride after the triumph.

Bidding for the tie started online and resumed Saturday night at the 2010 Connoisseur’s Dinner and auction at the Nittany Lion Inn on campus.

The 10.2K bid for the tie tops the $9,000 winning bid for JoePa’s eyeglasses at last year’s charity dinner and auction for Penn State Public Broadcasting.

Also at this year’s auction, a Penn State football signed by Paterno and Penn State's 1973 Heisman Trophy recipient, John Cappelletti, brought in $2,750. And a framed/autographed series of photos of Paterno through the years went for $3,000.

All told, this year's silent and live auctions raised more than $56,000 for Penn State Public Broadcasting.

More than 800 coaches are expected at Penn State's annual football coaches clinic April 1-2 at Penn State.

Joe Paterno and his staff will offer lectures and demonstrations to high school and youth league coaches from all across the nation and also from abroad.

The clinic will utilize Penn State players for demonstrations, as the clinic occurs during spring practice. Coaches will be able to observe an intrasquad scrimmage on April 2 in Beaver Stadium.

Also on tap: Sessions from Penn State’s strength and conditioning staff; on special teams; and on speed and movement, the latter with the Nittany Lions’ speed coach.

The clinic costs $80 per person and includes clinic materials, a meal and the coaches’ Friday night social.

For info, click here and then click on Football Coaches Clinic, or call 814-865-0561 weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Deadline to pre-register is March 25. Walk-in registration begins at 8 a.m. April 1 in Holuba Hall on the east side of campus.

Penn State also will host five other camps in June during its 37th annual summer football camps. Nearly 3,000 high school players from across the nation annually attend the camps.
 
Player camp information, including registration forms, can be found at the same link above -- then clicking on Football Camp -- or by contacting the Penn State sports camps office at 814-865-0561.

The Big Ten Network will name track and field star Jesse Owens as its No. 3 Big Ten Icon next weekend, the network said today in a news release.

Which leads to these questions: Is God ranked No. 1? Is Abraham Lincoln No. 2?
Because it’s hard to imagine anyone else more deserving than Owens.

As the Big Ten Network’s own news release said: “It is no exaggeration to say the four-gold-medal performance by Ohio State’s Jesse Owens in front of Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games was a landmark event in the history of Ohio State, the Big Ten Conference, the United States, the Olympic Games and of the 20th century.”

Whipping the Nazis on the track – in front of the oppressive Hitler – was a major symbolic victory for the U.S. and for democracy everywhere. Can’t imagine Hitler was happy that his supposedly superior race was humbled by a black man from America.

Beyond that accomplishment – actually you can’t go beyond that, so … in addition to that – Owens was a world record-holder, even while in college. In the Big Ten track and field meet in 1935, he set three world records and tied a fourth – all in about 45 minutes. (How's that for the second bullet-point on your resume?)

So, we shall see who ends up No. 1 and No. 2. I could be wrong, but it will be difficult to top Owens.

Multiple websites are reporting that John Cabot, a two-star quarterback out of Torrey Pines, Calif., will be a preferred walk-on next fall at Penn State.

Cabot is 6-4, 200 and gives the Lions a bit of quarterback insurance in case Rob Bolden and Kevin Newsome transfer following the spring semester. Torrey Pines is near San Diego.

According to Linebacker-U.com, Penn State has two other preferred walk-ons: defensive backs J.T. Hornyak of Virginia and Tim Buckley of North Carolina.

For more on these preferred walk-ons, click here.

Here's the answer to the recent trivia question (a trick question but a valid question):

Kerry Collins and Jeff Hostetler are the two Penn State alumni to start at quarterback in the Super Bowl. Collins, playing for the New York Giants, lost to Baltimore in 2001 (2000 regular season). Hostetler, also playing for the Giants, beat Buffalo in 1991 (1990 regular season). Both games were played in Tampa.

The definition of alumnus: Someone who has attended or graduated from a particular school, college or university. (Hostetler transferred from Penn State to West Virginia.)

Penn State begins spring practice March 18, culminating with the annual Blue-White intrasquad game April 16 at Beaver Stadium.

Once again, Penn State has a three-day festacular planned around the Blue-White Game, which kicks off the celebration of 125 years of Penn State football. A carnival, parade and fireworks again will accompany the game, which kicks off at 2 p.m.

In addition, the Beaver Stadium 5K will be held at 10 a.m. April 17. Last year, the inaugural event raised more than $35,000 for Special Olympics Pennsylvania.

For information on the Beaver Stadium 5K, including registration, click here.

At his introductory news conference today, new Tennessee Titans coach Mike Munchak said he probably learned the most about coaching from Joe Paterno.

Munchak, who starred as an offensive lineman for Penn State about three decades ago, said JoePa "commanded the room and the practice field."

Munchak is the first former Penn State player under JoePa to become a head coach in the National Football League. Munchak had a great career in the NFL and is in the NFL Hall of Fame.

JoePa, in turn, said Munchak "always strived for great achievement as a player and a coach."

For more from Penn State on the historic hiring, click here.

Former Penn State All-American offensive lineman Mike Munchak has been named the head coach of the Tennessee Titans.

Munchak, the Titans' offensive line coach, was considered one of the favorites to take over for Jeff Fisher.

For the story, click here.

What two Penn State alumni started at quarterback in the Super Bowl?

Hint: Look up the definition of alumnus.

Super Bowl predictions:

The Packers will send Big Ben to the bench with an injury.

Aaron Rodgers will be MVP.

At least two FOX prime-time TV stars will be shown in the stands.

Another FOX star will be interviewed on the sideline.

Andrew Quarless will make three receptions.

Jeremy Kapinos will be auditioning for a job next fall.

Jerry Jones will manage to get on TV.

The commercials will be overrated.

It still will be a fun night.

Green Bay will win, 27-23.

The Morning Call's Mark Wogenrich this week wrote a strong piece on how Penn State's recruiting connection with the Lehigh Valley has dried up in the past eight years.

More than 30 Lehigh Valley and region players have accepted Division I-A scholarships from 2004-11, and none have picked Penn State.

Mark explains why this has occurred -- and how the loss of coach Dave Wannstedt at Pitt could help Penn State recruiting in the Valley.

For the story, click here. 

Running back Evan Royster and offensive guard Stefen Wisniewski will participate in the NFL Combine later this month in Indianapolis. They're the only two Penn State players on the official invite list.

Royster is training in south Florida and participated in the East-West Shrine Game. Wisniewski also is working out in Florida but did not play in any all-star games. Wisniewski is a potential second-round pick, while Royster could be a middle-round selection.

Surprisingly, defensive tackle Ollie Ogbu was not invited to the Combine. He's now pointing to Penn State's Pro Day in March, along with receiver Brett Brackett, guard Lou Eliades and, potentially, kicker Collin Wagner.

The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 28-30.

   Joe Paterno’s school visits were legendary. Classes would be herded into gyms for assemblies, and teachers corralled Paterno for autographs. At Central Catholic, Jim Morgans said, they’d have cake every time the Penn State coach stopped by.

   “That definitely makes a difference, when Joe Paterno comes into a school,” said Morgans, now the football coach at Parkland High.

   It has been a while since Paterno ate cake with teachers, though. Paterno hasn’t visited a recruit off-campus since 2008, when he tried to lure quarterback Terrelle Pryor from Ohio State. Two of the last Penn State players he visited (receiver Derek Moye and defensive tackle Devon Still) will be redshirt seniors this fall.

  Paterno handles most of his recruiting by phone, though he still hosts high school players and their parents at his house, where wife Sue cooks dinner. As with most programs, Penn State primarily contacts recruits through assistant coaches. But unlike those same programs, Penn State hasn’t sealed a commitment with a road trip from the head coach in a while.

   Does that make a difference? Depends on the recruit.

   “I’ve never had a recruit say to me they’re afraid of Joe Paterno leaving,” said Matt Alkire, Eastern recruiting analyst for Scout.com. “They don’t bring it up. It’s not an issue for them. Their parents are sold on the fact that Penn State is Penn State. And if their kids go to Penn State, they’ll be taken care of, because Penn State runs a clean program, they’ll get a good education and play quality football.

   “For the players and parents, as far as Joe Paterno is concerned, when he gets replaced, the program will stay the same. People are very confident in this. Fans do make a bigger deal out of it.”

   Last season, Paterno said he no longer makes off-campus visits because of the “hoopla” involved. Each visit turned into “an alumni meeting,” Paterno said, and he wasn’t able to visit as many schools as he wanted.

   “I’ve always been reluctant to have some guys think they’re more important than others,” Paterno said. “In the old days, when I could just get into the car with an assistant coach and hop all over the place and get into 4-5 schools in a day, you could get it done. Now it’s tough for me to get out of the school, because there are so many demands on me when I get there.”

   Further, Paterno said, the visits turned into marketing missions. “In a lot of cases, that gives a business guy a chance to get his picture taken with the coach at Penn State.” Paterno said. “That gives him some credibility. There are a lot of things involved, PR-wise. That’s one of the reasons why it’s been much more difficult for me to get around.”

   Some buy that, others don’t.

   “I might get killed for saying this, but Penn State, right now, might now have the resources they used to in recruiting,” Alkire said. “In my opinion, they do have certain coaches who are really hitting it hard, and other coaches who might not be able to do it anymore.”

   Scout.com ranked Penn State’s 2011 recruiting class 33^rd nationally, largely because the team was limited to 16 recruits. Last year the Lions pulled in a top-10 class, one which Alkire called “pound-for-pound the best recruiting class in the country.”

   “Coach Paterno is getting up there in age and maybe hasn’t been involved in the same facet or the same way he once was,” said Tom Luginbill, national recruiting director for ESPN Scouts Inc. “… But the teams and the exposure and positive upgrade in college football across the board have made for a very competitive, crowded landscape in recruiting.

   “I don’t necessarily look at it as a negative reflection of what Penn State’s done. It’s one thing to build a program, but to sustain one for [45] years, that’s a totally different ballgame. And nobody has been able to do it, and nobody will be able to do it, on top of what Joe Paterno has done.”

   Following a meandering start to the recruiting season, Penn State completed a solid class in the past month, boosted by two decommits from Pitt.

   Penn State is scheduled to sign a class of 15 players on Wednesday, with another prospect intending to announce his choice this afternoon. It should be a relatively quiet National Letter of Intent Day in State College, though it caps a hectic finish to the recruiting season.

   “Looking at Penn State, if you asked me about them two months ago, I really shook my head and said, ‘What is going on here with this class?’” said Tom Luginbill, national scouting director for ESPN. “To some degree, it was worrisome. But they’ve upgraded the class to 15 [players], and the top end of this class is much more encouraging today than it was two months ago.”

   Penn State received commitments from six players since Christmas, including three who received four-star ratings by Scout.com. Among them is Bill Belton, a New Jersey wide receiver who originally committed to Pitt but changed his mind after coach Dave Wannstedt was let go.

   “Bill Belton might be the best wide receiver I’ve seen in the Northeast region,” said Matt Alkire, Eastern recruiting analyst for Scout.com. “Mechanically and technically, he is phenomenal. Bill could turn into an absolute playmaker.”

  Penn State also received a Letter of Intent from Dallastown linebacker Ben Kline, who originally committed to Pitt. Both were recruited by receivers coach Mike McQueary, who also serves as Penn State’s recruiting coordinator.

   “Mike McQueary busts his tail recruiting for Penn State,” Alkire said.

   The Lions also received commitments since Christmas from four-star offensive linemen Anthony Zettel and Donovan Smith. They joined Angelo Mangiro (Scout.com’s No. 3-ranked guard nationally) in giving Penn State its second consecutive class filled with line contributors.

   “They’ve done a fantastic job on the offensive line,” Luginbill said. “Those three guys are all highly graded.”

   Luginbill said the finish fleshed out a class that had just four new commitments until November. That, he said, was “worrisome.”

   “I didn’t feel like they had the numbers, and the caliber of player was not at the level a Penn State recruiting class should be,” Luginbill said. “Their 2010 class, in our minds, was very, very strong, partly because of defense and quarterback, and they needed to build on that a little more. But they did upgrade and gain some ground. That’s why we say recruiting is a marathon and not a sprint.”

   Defensive end Shawn Oakman (listed at 6-8, 250) and wide receiver Matt Zanellato also received four-star ratings from Scout.com. Offensive lineman Anthony Alosi is the only early enrollee.

   Penn State’s 15 commitments includes cornerback Shyquawn Pullium, who initially signed a Letter of Intent in 2010. Pullium, from Erie, went from the Big 33 Classic to Kiski Prep and will join the Lions this fall.

   4 P.M. UPDATE: Maryland defensive back Adrian Amos annouced he will attend Penn State, switching from his previous commitment to Connecticut.

   Amos is a three-star safety who could find himself on Penn State's depth chart as soon as next year. 

State College police have charged offensive lineman Johnnie Troutman with DUI, according to court documents. Troutman was arrested Saturday. Police filed the complaint Tuesday.

Troutman, 23, was charged with DUI, failure to observe traffic-control devices and driving without a license. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March.

Troutman, a redshirt junior, started 11 games last season at left guard. He is one of three lineman scheduled to return for 2011.

This is Troutman's second run-in with police in State College, though the first occurred before he was enrolled. In August 2006, Troutman was charged with criminal mischief. He pleaded guilty and paid a fine and restitution. Troutman enrolled in 2007.

Penn State starting offensive guard Johnnie Troutman has been charged with DUI, according to multiple media reports.

State College police cited Troutman following a traffic stop Saturday, according to fightonstate.com.

Troutman, of Brown Mills, N.J., will be a senior next fall, and he has one year of eligibility remaining.

For the story at fightonstate.com, click here.

For the story in Penn State's Daily Collegian, click here.

Joe Paterno has donated the necktie he wore last fall when he won his 400th game to an online auction to benefit Penn State Public Broadcasting.

JoePa wore the tie when his Nittany Lions rallied to beat Northwestern, 35-21, last Nov. 6 at Beaver Stadium. It was his 400th victory as Penn State head coach.

The necktie is autographed and inside a frame that includes several photos from the post-game celebration that day.

The online auction ends at noon Feb. 9. The bidding then resumes in a live auction on Feb. 12 at Penn State Public Broadcasting's 19th annual Connoisseur’s Dinner at the Nittany Lion Inn on campus.

Many other items also are up for auction. For info, click here.

In honor of Joe Paterno's 400th career victory, Nike has made a $400,000 gift to Penn State's libraries, according to a news release.

The gift, according to the release, will help fund construction of the Tombros/McWhirter Knowledge Commons in Pattee and Paterno Libraries.

"Joe and I have always said that you can't have a great university without a great library," Sue Paterno said in a statement. “We are delighted that Nike, Inc. has acknowledged this milestone in Joe's career by supporting an institution so important to us.”

Joe Paterno has an endorsement contract with Nike, which outfits the football team. Paterno and Nike chairman Phil Knight have a long-standing business relationship.

Former Penn State star Darren Perry could soon be an NFL defensive coordinator, but the question is for what team.

The Philadelphia Eagles are interested in Perry, who is the secondary coach for Green Bay, which is playing in Sunday’s Super Bowl. The Eagles fired their defensive coordinator after their playoff loss to the Packers.

Meanwhile, we’re learning that the Oakland Raiders also are interested in Perry, who was a first-team All-American at safety for Penn State in 1991. Perry played seven years with the Steelers and one year with the Saints – all at safety – before retiring after the 2000 season. Perry’s coaching resume includes time with the Bengals, Steelers and Raiders before going to Green Bay for the 2009 season.

An intriguing nugget of info is that Perry while he was with the Raiders helped with the development of all-pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, and Asomugha is now a free agent. The team that gets Perry also might have an edge in landing Asomugha, and the Eagles have a desperate need for a quality cornerback.

NFL teams are not allowed to talk about their interest in coaches with teams still involved in the playoffs. So, more to come, beginning next week.

Former Penn State second-team All-American Mike Munchak is one of the leading candidates to become the head coach of the Tennessee Titans.

Munchak, 50, is the offensive line coach for the Titans, who Thursday night parted ways with longtime head coach Jeff Fisher.

Munchak was a nine-time all-pro guard in the NFL with the Houston Oilers, the same franchise that became the Titans in Nashville. A native of Scranton, Munchak is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame and apparently is well-respected by Titan players and management. And, because Fisher's depature occurred at such a late date after the end of the regular season, it is likely Tennessee will fill the head coaching position in-house.

For more on the story, go to the Tennessean newspaper. Click here for the story on Fisher's ouster.

Penn State’s 2011 season begins Sept. 3 at home vs. Indiana State.

Here are my odds on who will be starting at quarterback for Penn State:

Matt McGloin, 55 percent chance: At least for the opener; no guarantees thereafter.
Paul Jones, 35 percent: There is now precedent to start a freshman in the opener.
Robert Bolden, 9 percent: Figures to be red-shirting at another D-I school this fall.
Kevin Newsome, 1 percent: Either transferring or moving to another position.

Who do you think will start the opener? Click here and vote by scrolling down to the poll at the bottom right.

Penn State might have had a mediocre year on the field last year, but in terms of profits, the Nittany Lion program was No. 3 in the nation, according to a CNNMoney analysis.

Penn State turned a $50.4 million profit in 2010, according to the analysis, on $70.2 million in revenue.

That's a nice haul, tops in the Big Ten, and is probably yet another reason why Penn State's administration will let Joe Paterno retire when he desires to retire.

No. 1 in profits for 2010 was Texas, with $68.8 million, followed by Georgia with $52.5 million. Michigan was No. 4 with $44.9 million in profits.

For the CNNMoney story, click here.

The dream matchup of Packers-Steelers in the Feb. 6 Super Bowl ensures that one Penn State alumnus will be a Super Bowl champion.

Rookie Andrew Quarless plays tight end for Green Bay, while Jeremy Kapinos is the punter for Pittsburgh.

Quarless had a solid season, catching 21 passes and starting three games. He was a viable option for Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Kapinos took over as punter for the Steelers after regular punter Daniel Sepulveda got hurt late in the season. Kapinos kicked in the final four regular season games and in all of the playoff games. (Kapinos also punted in one game for Indianapolis this season, also in a pinch-hit role.)

My early pick in the big ballgame: Packers.

Joe Paterno had said several times since the loss to Michigan State that he expected one or two juniors to leave school early for the NFL. He might have been sandbagging for some reason, since every remotely plausible draft entrant (Derek Moye, D'Anton Lynn, Devon Still) said he was returning.

The NFL released the list of early draft entrants Wednesday and, as expected, no Penn State players were on it. (None of the suspended Ohio State players were on it, either).

A total of 56 players, three more than last year, are leaving early for the April draft. Here's a few names that might interest Penn State fans.

ILLINOIS

• Mikel Leshoure, RB
• Corey Liuget, DT
• Martez Wilson, LB

INDIANA

• Tandon Doss, WR

IOWA

• Tyler Sash, DB

WISCONSIN

• John Clay, RB
• J.J Watt, DE

PITT

• Jon Baldwin, WR
• Henry Hynoski, RB
• Dion Lewis, RB

TEMPLE

• Muhammad Wilkerson, DT

ALABAMA

• Mark Ingram, RB
• Julio Jones, WR

Deion Barnes turned 18 today, and to celebrate he committed to play for Penn State. The senior from Northeast High in Philadelphia held a news conference at his high school to make the announcement. His final list of schools had been whittled to Penn State and Georgia.

Barnes (6-5, 230) is a welcome commitment for the Lions, who always are in the market for speedy rush ends. He's a three-star player, according to Scout.com, and one of three defensive linemen in the class. He was named second-team all-state in Class 4A last season.

Barnes' commitment brings Penn State's 2011 class to 15 players, with 2-3 more scholarships available. National signing day is Feb. 2.