Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno will be making $512,664 this year, according to information released by the State Employees Retirement System (SERS) today.
SERS was forced to release the salaries of Paterno, vice provost Rodney Erickson, former budget officer Richard Althouse and treasurer Gary Schultz after the state Supreme Court ruled last Tuesday that the salaries of Penn State employees receiving pensions from the state program are public information.
Erickson and Schultz each make $385,010.
The lawsuit originated from a complaint filed by reporter Jan Murphy and the Patriot-News Company in 2002.
After the commonwealth court ruled in favor of the Patriot-News in 2005, the retirement board agreed to release the information, but the university appealed, sending the case to the state's Supreme Court.
The numbers released for Paterno are not inclusive of other compensation, like money from television and apparel contracts as well as other bonuses that Paterno and other Division I-A coaches may earn. The release of these amounts can only come at the university's approval. Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers said the University would not release these numbers.
