HARRISBURG — Joe Paterno's salary is no longer one of the most closely guarded secrets in college sports. The Penn State coach will earn more than $500,000 this year.

The State Employees' Retirement System released Paterno's salary Thursday, more than a week after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that his salary and those of other top Penn State officials are public information.

Paterno was paid $427,220 in the first 10 months of 2007 — putting his year-end salary on track to be $512,664. He was paid $490,638 last year, according to the retirement system.

"I'm paid well. I'm not overpaid," Paterno said earlier in the day, during an interview with reporters about his upcoming College Football Hall of Fame induction. "I got all the money I need."

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers fullback Dan Kreider was placed on the injured reserve list Thursday and will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury that occurred Monday night against Miami.Tight end Jon Dekker, an undrafted free agent from Princeton, was added to the 53-man roster to replace Kreider. The team had been without a third tight end since Jerame Tuman went on the injured reserve list Nov. 14.Kreider, who was not drafted in 2000 but has been the Steelers' starting fullback most of the time since then, was playing a lesser role in the offense this season. He started four games, but had only one carry for 2 yards and often was replaced by a tight end for blocking purposes.

NEW YORK — Despite a year of personal upheaval and on-track failures, Dale Earnhardt Jr. remains as popular as ever.Junior was selected the most popular driver for the fifth straight year, drawing more than 1.5 million of the more than 3.8 million votes cast online. The award comes after he decided to leave the NASCAR team founded by his late father to join powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports with a new sponsor and a new car number.