STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Bill O'Brien took the podium, looked straight ahead and uttered the kind of words you would expect from someone who had just been introduced as Penn State's new head football coach.
"This is unbelievable."
An assistant coach, and later offensive coordinator, for the New England Patriots the past five years, O'Brien picked quite a challenge for his first head-coaching job. Until Nov. 9, the Nittany Lions had been directed by the same person for 46 seasons -- Joe Paterno. The Hall of Fame coach, however, was fired in the aftermath of a child sex-abuse scandal involving retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
Not only is O'Brien replacing Division I's winningest coach, he is joining a school trying to steer its way through federal, NCAA and Big Ten inquiries -- not to mention criminal proceedings against former administrators.
O'Brien, 42, will remain with the Patriots for the duration of their playoff run. New England has a bye this weekend.
"I feel like I'm a mentally tough guy right now," O'Brien said. "I feel like I'm the right guy."
O'Brien added: "I'm going to surround myself with good people, and I'm excited to do that."
His five-year contract, finalized Friday, included base compensation starting at $950,000, with a 5 percent increase each season. O'Brien also will collect another $1 million per year for radio and television work, as well as a $350,000 Nike contract.
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The base package is roughly on par with Paterno's compensation, which was about $1.02 million last year -- a relative bargain for a coach with two national championships. Until now, Penn State never released details of salary from endorsement deals outside the school.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick, whom O'Brien thanked during the news conference, said in a statement that the coach "has met every personal and professional challenge head on with great passion and competitiveness."
"I expect Bill to draw on his deep background in college football and the NFL to continue attracting and developing top players," Belichick said. "For five years, Bill's outstanding work with our quarterbacks and entire offense has led to record-setting performances. His presence and command before our team has grown into that of an inspirational leader.
"This is a great match between a storied program and an old-school football coach. Bill will be up to the task, and I couldn't be happier for him."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
