JoePa is not in State College forever because he has an extremely long-term contract. He doesn\'t.
Paterno is in State College forever because he wants to. You cannot replace desire.
Harbaugh knows that the goodwill he has already generated in Palo Alto could last him through many 4-8 (or worse) seasons. He\'s not concerned with getting fired. Tenure isn\'t the answer.
Is money an issue? Perhaps to some degree, but Stanford is not going to outbid other suitors for Harbaugh\'s services. Stanford may be roughly comparable, but Harbaugh is never going to stay in Palo Alto because of sweet financial terms.
If he stays it will be because he likes it there. He will stay because Stanford offers a unique environment where the ability and resources for success are available, the people who surround him (both inside and outside football) excel in everything they do, and yet the demands for immediate and perpetual success are less than they would be in a higher-pressure (and higher-profile) environment.
Paterno is in State College forever because he wants to. You cannot replace desire.
Harbaugh knows that the goodwill he has already generated in Palo Alto could last him through many 4-8 (or worse) seasons. He\'s not concerned with getting fired. Tenure isn\'t the answer.
Is money an issue? Perhaps to some degree, but Stanford is not going to outbid other suitors for Harbaugh\'s services. Stanford may be roughly comparable, but Harbaugh is never going to stay in Palo Alto because of sweet financial terms.
If he stays it will be because he likes it there. He will stay because Stanford offers a unique environment where the ability and resources for success are available, the people who surround him (both inside and outside football) excel in everything they do, and yet the demands for immediate and perpetual success are less than they would be in a higher-pressure (and higher-profile) environment.
"I have nothing to say and I am saying it."
--- John Cage