Paterno hospitalized after refracturing pelvis in fall at home

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno refractured his pelvis after falling at his home Saturday but was expected to make a full recovery, the family's attorney confirmed on Sunday.

Paterno was admitted to the hospital on Sunday and will not require surgery, according to the Associated Press, which initially broke the news of the injury on Sunday.

Wick Sollers, who was retained last month by the Paternos, confirmed the report through a spokesman with the law firm of King & Spalding.

Paterno, who was fired by Penn State's board of trustees Nov. 9 in the fallout from child sexual abuse allegations against former assistant Jerry Sandusky, has been undergoing treatment for lung cancer. The AP reported that Paterno will remain in the hospital so he can receive cancer treatments as he recovers from his pelvis injury, but a source told The Inquirer on Sunday that element of the story was "unclear."

Paterno, the winningest coach in the history of Division I football, has not spoken publicly since his firing. He turns 85 on Dec. 21.

Just days after his removal from the post he held since 1966, Paterno was diagnosed with what his son Scott described as a treatable form of lung cancer. He has been undergoing radiation treatment and chemotherapy, and a source said Thursday that Paterno was progressing.

This is the second time this year that Paterno injured his pelvis. On Aug. 7, wide receiver Devon Smith accidentally blindsided the coach during a preseason practice. Paterno walked with the aid of a cane early in the season and directed the Nittany Lions from the coaches' box upstairs for most of their games.

On Saturday, the same day the injury occurred, Paterno's son Jay, Penn State's quarterbacks coach, tweeted:

"Good practice yesterday, good practice this morning. Great walk with my Dad this afternoon. A fine day indeed."