Paterno Pension: $13.4M

Penn State charities to get $1.5M

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted May 22, 2012 5:25 PM CDT

Copied

Paterno Pension: $13.4M — In this Nov. 9 photo, former Penn State Coach Joe Paterno and his wife, Sue, stand on their porch to thank supporters gathered outside their home in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Joe Paterno's 61 years at Penn State brought him a state pension of $13.4 million. His wife will get an initial payment of $10.1 million this month, and the family will donate $1.5 million to Penn State charities, the AP reports. Paterno didn't get any special treatment, the family says: The figure was based on the standard State Employees' Retirement System.

In fact, Paterno actually made less than many fellow Division I coaches during his tenure. Last year, he received a $1.02 million compensation package—the biggest at the university, but far less than the $4.6 million Alabama's Nick Saban receives, for example. "Financial gain was never Coach Paterno's top priority," said a rep. Paterno died at age 85 in January. (Read more Joe Paterno stories.)