STATE COLLEGE — Joe Paterno and his boss agree: The 81-year-old football coach doesn't need a contract to stay on the sideline at Penn State.

Paterno's current contract is up at the end of the 2008 season, yet that doesn't necessarily mean the end of his record-setting tenure as head coach.

University president Graham Spanier told The Associated Press in an e-mail that both the school and Paterno agree that a contract isn't necessary for the man entering his 43rd season leading the Nittany Lions. The sides agreed to meet, as they have in the past, at the end of the season to discuss the future.

"We are in agreement that a contract would have little practicality given Coach Paterno's seniority. None of us see that as necessary," Spanier wrote in the e-mail Wednesday night in response to a request for an update from the AP.

Asked Thursday to clarify the arrangement, Spanier replied in a follow-up message, "There will not be a new contract. We have an understanding that a contract is not necessary or practical.

"The absence of a contract with a specified number of years does not, however, imply any particular retirement date," he wrote. "We will review the status of the program at the end of the season, as we always do."

Memorial tourney

The Greg Brown Memorial Golf Tournament will be held July 19 at Aubrey's Dubbs Dred golf course.

Tee time is 8 a.m. Cost for the four-man scramble format is $70 per golfer. Fee includes 18 holes of golf, cart, food, beverages and prizes.

All proceeds benefit the Greg Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund, which gives $1,000 scholarships to senior football players graduating from Butler High.

The tournament also is looking for sponsors. Call Steve Monteleone at 724-712-1355 for details.