Penn State football fans can now display their love for the Lions every morning at breakfast by eating their Wheaties.

Joe Paterno, the "winningest coach in college football," has earned the honor of being featured on the popular cereal box.

With 336 career wins in 37 seasons as Penn State's head coach, Paterno has now joined the ranks of other athletic icons, such as Wayne Gretzky, Tiger Woods and Barry Bonds, who have also been honored by Wheaties, the self-proclaimed "breakfast of champions."

"He has earned more victories than any other college coach, his teams are consistently successful on the field, and Penn State is one of the model [student athlete academic] programs in this country," said Penn State football spokesman Jeff Nelson.

But it is not just his successful coaching record that has distinguished Paterno as an honorable figure, he added.

"He and his wife Sue have made many contributions, financially and in their time and effort," Nelson said. The Paterno family has funded many projects, scholarships and facilities at Penn State, he said, including the Paterno Library.

The first cereal shipments arrived at major grocery stores in Pennsylvania and nearby states early last week.

The box has been a big hit locally, said Adam Unger, assistant manager at Walmart, 373 Benner Pike.

"We put [the boxes] on the sale floor last Monday, and sales have been fantastic," he said.

The new box was unveiled Aug. 21 at Beaver Stadium. At the unveiling, Paterno admitted that he was hesitant to accept Wheaties' offer at first.

"After I thought about it, I felt it was really quite an honor and thought to myself, 'Stop being a big shot, Paterno, and sit back and enjoy it,' " he said.

He said he is grateful not only for the recognition but also for the people who helped him throughout his career.

"This Wheaties box is a great tribute to discipline, hard work and dedication," he said. "But the recognition really goes to the players and teams that I have had the privilege of coaching through the years. They are the true champions."

Paterno's accomplishments reflect on the community as a whole, said university spokesperson Amy Neil.

"It's absolutely a great honor, for the coach and for Penn State and its students," she said. "We're very proud that he's such a great representative of Penn State."