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Wednesday, October 3, 2007 11:05 PM CDT
Panthers to play Penn State in big 2009 payday
BY BRIAN NIELSEN Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON – In two years, Eastern Illinois football coach Bob Spoo, who turns 70 next month, hopes to be the young buck in a coaching match-up.
That would be the case if Joe Paterno, who is to celebrate an 81st birthday this Dec. 21, is still coaching Penn State in 2009.
Eastern on Wednesday announced the signing of a contract to play an Oct. 10, 2009 football game at Penn State for a $450,000 guarantee that would be the biggest paycheck EIU has received to visit a major college team.
Having played Illinois last year and Purdue earlier this season and scheduled to go to Illinois again next year, the Penn State game would mark the fourth straight year Eastern is to take on a Big Ten Conference team.
This would be the biggest game yet visiting Penn State’s Beaver Stadium, which has a listed capacity of 107,282 making it the second largest college football stadium behind Michigan Stadium. It is also listed as the sixth largest stadium in the world.
“We think it’s great exposure for us and a great experience for our football players,” said Ken Baker, EIU’s interim athletics director.
Baker stressed that the $450,000 is before expenses to travel to Happy Valley, Pa.
“That’s one of our major sources of income,” he said. “Football doesn’t get a pig paycheck out of that. It goes to all our sports.”
Spoo said: “We’re kind of in a situation where it’s expected of us to play a game like this. They’re doling out a big amount of money as I understand.”
After missing last season after surgery but back in his 20th season as Eastern’s head coach this year, is looking toward taking the Panthers to Penn State in 2009.
“I hope to be,” Spoo said. “I really do. I feel better every day. My heart is still in it.”
In his days as an assistant coach at Purdue and Wisconsin Spoo never faced one of Paterno’s teams but the EIU coach said he did meet the Penn State coach during the time before Penn State was in the Big Ten.
“When I was at Purdue I went out there on a visit,” Spoo said. “He said ‘oh, you’re the team that has the quarterback in the shotgun.’ I don’t know if he has lined up in the shotgun since then or not.”
Athletics director Ken Baker has announced the signing of a contract that will have the Eastern Illinois football team traveling to play Penn State University in October of 2009. The game will mark the fourth straight season that Eastern Illinois has played a school from the Big Ten Conference.
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
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