STATE COLLEGE — Veteran Penn State athletic department administrator and assistant coach Fran Ganter is retiring after nearly five decades at his alma mater.

A former player, Ganter also served as an assistant for 33 years under the late coach Joe Paterno. He became offensive coordinator in 1984 and oversaw the offense for the 1986 national title team. Ganter became assistant head coach in 2000 before leaving the sidelines in 2004 to become associate athletic director of football administration.

Ganter was asked to deliver a note to Paterno with the number of a university trustee the night Paterno was fired in November 2011 in the aftermath of retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky’s arrest on child sex abuse charges.

Ganter in a statement Wednesday called Paterno an “influential and constant figure” in his life.

“He was tough as my coach and demanding as my boss, but was always thoughtful and understanding when it came to my family,” Ganter said of Paterno. He added that his family loved being part of the football program because “Coach Paterno genuinely cared for them and always tried to make them feel that they were an important part of the program — and for that I am eternally grateful.”

Ganter, 64, also thanked fellow coaches, staffers and current coach Bill O’Brien, and singled out his former players. “It was truly a privilege and an honor to be part of their lives,” he said.

O’Brien praised Ganter for helping smooth the transition for the new coaching staff. He said he respected Ganter’s decision to step away so that he could enjoy more time for himself and Ganter’s four sons.

“I am very proud and thankful to have been a member of the Penn State Football family for the past 46 years,” said Ganter, whose last day is Thursday.