UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State football coach Joe Paterno made news on two fronts yesterday, one for how much he is paid, and another for how long he'd like to continue drawing that paycheck.

The Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System revealed that Mr. Paterno's salary for the first 10 months of this year was $427,220. That would put him on course to make $512,664 over 12 months, provided his pay does not fluctuate during those remaining two months. Disclosure of Mr. Paterno's salary had been sought since 2002.

Earlier in the day in a private meeting with selected journalists from around the state, Mr. Paterno, who turns 81 on Dec. 21, said he'd like to continue coaching at Penn State for "maybe three, four, five more years as long as the good Lord keeps me healthy."

Robert Gentzel, spokesman for SERS, said the salary figure represents only income paid directly by Penn State University. Lisa Powers, a university spokeswoman, said that in addition to his base salary, the coach receives income from endorsements for commercial products "and other athletic-related income provided by sources outside the university."

She did not elaborate or provide a figure for those outside earnings.

Many of Mr. Paterno's peers receive bonuses and outside income.

Under the new contract he signed in late August, West Virginia University coach Rich Rodriguez gets a base salary and guaranteed supplement of around $400,000 annually -- though he earns rising benefits, much of them deferred, that bring the total package to roughly $1.9 million this year.

The University of Pittsburgh reported this year that football coach Dave Wannstedt's salary was $713,138, and basketball coach Jamie Dixon earned $676,712, making them the second- and third-highest-paid employees there.

The release of Mr. Paterno's salary and that of three other Penn State administrators followed a ruling last week by the state Supreme Court that the information was a matter of public record.

Before the release of the salary figure yesterday, Mr. Paterno said, "I don't know why anyone would care about what I make.

"Don't get me wrong. I haven't taken a vow of poverty. I make more money than I should. I make more money than what's going to come out in a lot of different ways."

Mr. Paterno, who has been head coach at the university since 1966 and is second in all-time victories among Division I college football coaches, said yesterday he never cared much about money, to the point he never asked Penn State for a raise.

He added that he didn't even sign his first contract with Penn State until after he originally accepted, then changed his mind about, a deal to coach the NFL's New England Patriots in January 1973. That deal reportedly would have paid him $1.4 million annually and given him a 5 percent interest in the franchise.

But he said yesterday that the money he makes is ticketed for his large family.

"God forbid something happening to one of my [five] kids," Mr. Paterno, who has 16 grandchildren, none over the age of 12, said. "I want to be able to take care of their kids. That's what I need money for. I don't need money for anything else."

In the effort to disclose the salaries, the court was asked to decide a case dating to 2002, when reporter Jan Murphy and the Patriot-News Co. of Harrisburg asked the State Employees' Retirement System for the pay and service histories for Mr. Paterno; Rodney Erickson, executive vice president/provost; Gary Schultz, senior vice president/treasurer and Richard Althouse, former budget officer.

Penn State, Mr. Paterno and the three other employees appealed a SERS order three years ago that the salaries be released. The case effectively turned on the fact that while Penn State, as a state-related university, is not covered by the state's Right to Know Law, SERS as a state agency is covered by it. So the salary information was public for Penn State employees covered by SERS.

SERS yesterday released figures showing that during the first 10 months of this year, Mr. Erikson and Mr. Schultz each made $320,842. Mr. Althouse was paid $86,216 for the portion of 2006 he was at the university.

Dr. Graham Spanier, the university president, made a salary of $492,000 in 2005-06, plus housing and a car, according to a recent survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Though Penn State officials have said their view has not changed regarding release of the salaries, they officially notified SERS yesterday that there was no plan to appeal.

Discussing football, Mr. Paterno talked about the team's disappointing 8-4 season that has it headed to a second-tier bowl game. The team also had a number of disturbing off-the-field incidents involving players, prompting considerable outrage from the Penn State fan base.

"I think we're going to be right in the thick of things for the national championship," Mr. Paterno said yesterday of next season, the final year of his current contract.

Mr. Paterno promised to be more active as a coach in '08, saying he was somewhat limited this season because of his severe leg injuries from an on-field collision at Wisconsin in November 2006. "I'll get better physically and be able to do a lot more."

Mr. Paterno spoke on the virtual eve of his induction Tuesday night to the College Football Hall of Fame at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Mr. Paterno laughed when asked what the perfect ending to his coaching career would be.

"I think the perfect ending is you drop dead at the end of a game after you've kicked the winning field goal and you're carried off the field and everybody is singing, 'So long, Joe. It's been wonderful.' "