Why does Joe dislike Jackie? Buy the book

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno says his long-standingfeud with Jackie Sherrill started when the former Pitt and Texas A&Mcoach threatened Paterno and insulted his wife in a late-night phonecall.

In a book titled Paterno: By the Book, to be published nextmonth, Paterno said he had problems with underclassmen on his 1988team - the first losing Penn State team in 50 years - and that he hasa personal disdain for the negative reporting of some sportswriters.

Paterno's dislike for Sherrill stemmed from a 1978 incident -two years after Pitt won the national championship - in which Pittand Penn State were recruiting the same New Jersey high schoollinebacker.

Paterno wrote that when he visited the player's Paulsboro, N.J.,home and found him not there, he assumed Sherrill was baby-sittinghim. However, Sherrill was not with the player and assumed thatPaterno was.

After midnight, Paterno received a call from his wife, Sue, whosaid Sherrill had phoned and demanded to know where Paterno wasstaying. According to Mrs. Paterno, Sherrill called Paterno aderogatory name and threatened to find him and injure him. She addedthat Sherrill called her several names before hanging up.

Shortly after that, Paterno made his now-famous remark that hewasn't about to quit coaching "and leave college football to thelikes of Jackie Sherrill and Barry Switzer."

In the book, to be published Sept. 29 by Random House, Paternosaid he later apologized to Switzer because of his fondness for theOklahoma coach, but "I didn't give a damn about what Sherrill felt."

In the book, Paterno said reporters have brought a negative toneto the sports page and have increased the tendency for spectators tojeer poor performances and bet on college football.