Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who turns 82 Sunday, agreed to a three-year contract extension yesterday that could keep him in charge of the Nittany Lions' program through the 2011 season.

No salary details of the contract were released. Mr. Paterno will finish his 43rd season as the team's head coach when the 11-1 Nittany Lions face the University of Southern California in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. It is also the date his current four-year deal expires.

The language of the deal, which was announced in a one-paragraph release by the university, has a qualifier. According to the release, the parties involved -- university President Graham Spanier, Athletic Director Tim Curley and Mr. Paterno -- agreed they can "alter the arrangement by either shortening or extending its length as necessary."

Linebacker Sean Lee from Upper St. Clair High School, who is serving as an honorary captain and part-time coach this year while recuperating from a severe knee injury, called the extension "great news" when reached last night.

"He's why this program is where it is," said Mr. Lee, who will return for his fifth year of eligibility next fall. "He's one of the greatest college coaches of all time. It's great to have him back.

"He still coaches with an incredible amount of passion. I'm sure everybody will be happy with this."

Mr. Paterno is the winningest coach in Division I-A football history with a record of 383-126-3.

He had hip replacement surgery Nov. 23, the day after the regular-season finale, a 49-18 victory over Michigan State at Beaver Stadium, which clinched the Rose Bowl berth for the Lions. He said last Friday during the team's pre-Rose Bowl news conference that he had preliminary discussions with Mr. Curley about his future. At the time, Mr. Paterno said he expected more talks this week.

However, Mr. Spanier previously had said the university would not sign Mr. Paterno to another contract, even if he did return in 2009.

"The university will be fair to me," Mr. Paterno said five days ago. "... I just get tired of recruits asking me, 'How long are you going to be there?' "

Mr. Paterno also said he was "feeling great" and planned to coach "for a while."

Mr. Paterno said last week he used a walker for the first two days of his rehabilitation and occasionally has relied on a cane. He's still not sure, however, if his new right hip will allow him to coach from the sideline New Year's Day.

"He is one of the toughest guys I've ever seen," fifth-year senior center and co-captain A.Q. Shipley from Moon High School said last night. "A few years ago, he bounced back pretty quickly from that injury [broken leg] against Wisconsin and now he's bouncing back from hip replacement surgery.

"It's amazing. He's hard to keep down for long."

Mr. Paterno also landed a major quarterback recruit from Virginia yesterday.

Kevin Newsome, who most analysts consider one of the country's top 10 quarterback prospects, chose Penn State over Virginia Tech and Boston College after de-committing from Michigan in April.

He spent this fall at Hargrave Military Academy and hopes to enroll at Penn State next month.

"I think it's great that Coach Paterno is coming back for three more years," Mr. Shipley said. "It is good for recruiting and gives the program some stability."

Mr. Paterno's 75 percent winning percentage ranks second among active Division I coaches with 10 or more years' experience. He is the longest serving coach at one school in major college football history. He has led the Lions to two national championships (1982 and 1986) and five undefeated seasons (1968, 1969, 1973, 1986 and 1994).

He is the all-time leader in bowl victories with a record of 23-10-1 and ranks second with a .691 winning percentage among coaches with at least 12 postseason appearances. He is the only coach to win the Rose, Fiesta, Orange, Sugar and Cotton bowls.

Since he replaced Rip Engle in 1966, there have been 834 coaching changes among major college programs. Mr. Paterno was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2007.