Nittany Lions

Fran Ganter, who served on Joe Paterno's coaching staff at Penn State for 33 years before taking over as the university's associate athletic director for football administration in 2004, has announced his retirement, effective Thursday. Ganter, a running back for the Nittany Lions from 1967 through 1970, spent 20 of his years on Paterno's staff as offensive coordinator. Paterno added the title of assistant head coach to his duties in 2000. "I am very proud and thankful to have been a member of the Penn State football family for the past 46 years," Ganter said in a statement.

It's in the locker room where Imhotep Charter's DeAndre Scott said he zones out before games and blocks out everything that doesn't have to do with football. On Friday, Scott visited the locker room where he could play college football, as he made an unofficial visit to Penn State. The area's top junior defensive back tried on a pair of Nittany Lions jerseys, in both blue and white, emblazoned with his No. 5. "It was wonderful," Scott said. Along with Penn State, Scott has about a dozen scholarship offers, including from Arizona State, Central Florida, Pittsburgh, Temple, Virginia, and West Virginia.

On freshman orientation day at Penn State, Great Valley's Chris Geiss could easily skip the suggested tour around campus. His father, Robert, was a member of the school's band, and his mother, Pat, played lacrosse for the Nittany Lions. They passed their love of all that is State College along to their son. "Ever since I was born, I've gone to at least one game each season," Chris Geiss said. "It's almost like it's my second home. " In realizing one of his childhood dreams, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior will soon be spending ample time at Beaver Stadium.

Funny how nobody talks much anymore about Joe Paterno's statue. Much like that 900-pound likeness the university removed last summer from outside Beaver Stadium, the late Penn State coach's legacy once seemed destined to endure forever. Now, almost a year after Paterno's death, it is melting away rapidly, like the last vestiges of a snowfall in spring. The tumult provoked by the Jerry Sandusky scandal, the red-hot debate over Paterno's response, and the fears about Penn State football's future all have eased somewhat, even if the torment of Sandusky's child victims has not. Sandusky is in prison.

Linebacker Jonathan Walton, who had committed to Penn State last month after an official visit, has backed off his commitment, according to a report by South Carolina's GoUpstate.com. The 6-foot, 230-pound Walton, of Daphne, Ala., made an official visit last weekend to Tennessee and has visits scheduled to Southern California and Auburn in the next two weekends. He also has traveled to Minnesota. "I feel indecisive," Walton told GoUpstate.com. "I'm just weighing them out right now. Penn State is still in the mix. I just want to make my choice and stick with it. I'll waiting until signing day [Feb.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Because he is a coach, and the NFL is the "highest level of coaching," Bill O'Brien said he felt a need to check out some of the opportunities he had to return to the pros as a head coach before deciding he would remain at Penn State. However, in explaining his reasons why he stayed, O'Brien emphatically denied Monday that influential university donor Terry Pegula pledged $1.3 million to add to his contract or that he imposed any demands on acting athletic director Dave Joyner to gain more influence within the athletic department.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Because he is a coach, and the NFL is the "highest level of coaching," Bill O'Brien said he felt a need to check out some of the opportunities he had to return to the pros as a head coach before deciding he would remain at Penn State. However, in explaining his reasons why he stayed, O'Brien emphatically denied Monday that influential university donor Terry Pegula pledged $1.3 million to add to his contract or that he imposed any demands on acting athletic director Dave Joyner to gain more influence within the athletic department.

PENN STATE coach Bill O'Brien is strongly considering interviewing with an NFL team, according to a report from Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC. The report does not say if a team has asked O'Brien for an interview. ESPN reported that the Eagles and Browns consider him a candidate and the Jaguars reportedly are interested in talking with O'Brien. O'Brien just completed his first season as Joe Paterno's successor and led the Nittany Lions to an 8-4 record. He was widely praised for holding the program together in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Bill O'Brien, who took over a Penn State program that appeared headed to oblivion and steered the Nittany Lions to a surprisingly successful season, was named coach of the year Wednesday by the Maxwell Football Club. O'Brien, then the New England Patriots offensive coordinator, was hired as Joe Paterno's successor in January, two months after the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal broke and a month before Paterno's death. He took a demoralized team, diminished by harsh NCAA penalties and the transfers of several key players, and despite an 0-2 start transformed it into one of the Big Ten's best.

La Salle's Tyreek Duren has been playing at a high level during the early portion of the schedule. That pattern continued with a career performance during Wednesday night's 82-57 win over visiting Penn State in a nonconference game at the Palestra. Duren scored a career-high 29 points, shooting 9 of 13 from the field, 4 of 7 from beyond the arc, and 7 of 8 from the foul line. "It felt good and felt like every shot was falling," the junior point guard said. Duren's previous career high was 24 points last year against Villanova.