The name Frank Broyles probably doesn't mean much to you, unless you have an unhealthy obsession with the state of Arkansas. But his recent resignation from the position of athletic director at Arkansas University brings up an interesting parallel with Joe Paterno.

Broyles is the athletic director at Arkansas University until the end of this year, and he took the position after a long stretch as coach of the school's football team. Why is this important? Because Paterno, more than any man in college athletics today, is in the best position to help his school the way Broyles has helped Arkansas. Broyles stepped down as the head football coach at Arkansas in spite of the fact that he had a great deal of success with the team, mainly because he realized that he could improve the school's overall athletic profile on a greater scale as athletic director. During his time as director, he moved Arkansas from the Southwest Conference to the Southeastern Conference, raising the school's national profile immensely.

Broyles improved the men's and women's basketball programs at Arkansas through some bold moves, including the hiring of head coach Nolan Richardson to coach the men's team. Richardson led the school to a national championship in 1994 and the school has been consistently good since. Broyles also spearheaded a great deal of growth in all other sports at Arkansas, turning the school into a nationally recognizable athletics icon. In so doing, he raised the academic profile of the school and was instrumental in obtaining a $1 billion fund-raising campaign for the university as a whole.

How does something like this relate to Paterno? Simply stated, Paterno could, if he so desired, do all of these things and more for the university. This is not to say that Paterno has not already done the work of many men at Penn State -- he has. However, given that men's and women's basketball, the sports typically filed behind football in terms of visibility at large schools, are struggling to achieve a consistent level of excellence on the court, it would seem that Paterno is the man who could change all this.

Here's the radical suggestion: I'd suggest that Joe Paterno step down as head coach of the football team and move into a more fluid role within the athletic department. Joe has already been the athletic director at the school. Therefore, my purpose in writing this is not to suggest that he assume a position he has held before, but rather that he use his clout and influence, not to mention his name recognition, to benefit all sports at Penn State. This influence would most benefit the men's basketball team, usually the second most visible sport at any school. But at Penn State, the basketball team has been a disappointment over the last few years. This is not a suggestion that Paterno's coaching skills are on the wane, especially given that the team has had two straight victories in high-profile bowl games, but rather that Paterno could help the school on a much greater scale if all his time weren't consumed by football.

Tom Bradley is a more than capable replacement for Paterno, and he would likely do nothing to hurt the team's current run of success. Paterno could still maintain a sizable role with the team, going on recruiting trips and drumming up support for the program in places usually not recruited by the school. No, Joe wouldn't be going away from the team, just changing his role slightly. If Paterno were to take on a broader role for the school, think of the great things he could do for the basketball teams. Paterno knows basketball, he has influence, and he could almost certainly talk a big name coach (the key to getting blue-chip recruits to attend your institution -- see Huggins, Bob) into restoring the men's program at Penn State. The women's program, not long ago a legitimate national powerhouse, would not need nearly as much help to get back to prominence. Paterno could certainly pump some more money into recruiting and help in persuading big name recruits to put Penn State back on their radar.

Men's and women's basketball aren't the only sports Paterno could affect if he took on a more administrative role, and sports aren't the only area of the school where his impact would be felt. With Paterno's attention to detail, name recognition and clout, all the lesser-known and lesser-funded sports at the school would be helped. Paterno could also continue his exemplary philanthropic work in the school and community, keeping Penn State's academic and cultural standing high. If this happened, the football team wouldn't suffer much, if at all, and the other sports at Penn State would have their profiles raised immeasurably.

The current athletic director, Tim Curley, and those in the athletic department at Penn State do a fine job with Penn State sports, as many teams take home titles regularly. However, Paterno can take the school's athletics, and with them most other areas in the university, into the stratosphere.

Joe Paterno isn't just a football coach; he's a living legend. It's time he assumed a position that allowed him to use that status to benefit all sports at Penn State.