Joe Paterno's probably used to it by now.

After all, he's a living, breathing encyclopedia of college football.

When he first walked the sidelines of Penn State University as an assistant coach, Harry S. Truman was president of the United States.

Truman's long gone, but Paterno's still walking the sidelines.

You know he gets the same questions constantly from young, bleary-eyed, workaholic coaches nationwide.

How does a 79-year-old grandfather of 15 maintain that competitive fire?

How does one coach stay at a school like Penn State University for 56 years, 41 as a head coach?

How does he do it?

Phillip Fulmer admits he's asked Paterno a few of those questions.

Fulmer, the 55-year-old dean of SEC coaches, is like a wet-nosed whippersnapper compared to Paterno.

He's in his 15th season as head coach with a 137-40 career record and a 1998 national championship.

By comparison, Paterno is 362-121-3 with two national championships and a bowl record of 21-10-1.

"My admiration for him has been there for a long, long time," Fulmer said Wednesday as his 17th-ranked Vols returned to their preparation for a New Year's Day date with Paterno and the Nittany Lions in the Outback Bowl.

"He was almost like a mentor. Coach (Tom) Osborne (Nebraska), coach (Bobby) Bowden (Florida State), all those guys."

In 1971, Fulmer was starting left guard for a Tennessee team that upset No. 5-ranked Penn State 31-11 in Knoxville.

By then, Paterno was in his sixth season as head coach of the Nittany Lions -- with the same wavy black hair, Coke-bottle thick glasses and high-water pants.

"There have been a lot of football games since then," Fulmer said. "It's amazing what he has done.

"He has done it right as far as recruiting and academics. He's a guy you just have great admiration for."

Paterno's longevity boggles the mind of someone like Matt Luke, UT's 30-year-old tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator.

"He has been coaching longer than I've been alive," Luke said. "It's amazing. When you think about how long he has been there, it's really, really special.

"Obviously he's a rare breed. He's a very special person and very special coach. You've got to have an unbelievable amount of respect for him."

It's a respect Fulmer thinks goes both ways.

"I think as we've gone along our friendship has grown," he said of Paterno. "And I think his respect for us has grown."

In 1993, Fulmer's first full season as head coach at Tennessee, the youngster met the mentor under similar circumstances.

The Vols traveled to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on New Year's Day and lost a 31-13 decision to Paterno and Penn State.

Since then, times have changed. Coaching lifespans have shrunk, but Paterno remains a steady presence. His contract runs through 2008 and he plans on coaching another couple of years.

"It's a lot different now -- the scrutiny and the pressures -- compared to what it was 15, 20 or 30 years ago," Fulmer said.

"That's life. Things change. Times change and people change. But he seems like he has adapted really well."

He adapts, but he doesn't seem to change. He keeps winning.

"With coach Fulmer, coach Paterno and coach Bowden, those guys who have been around so long," Luke said, "it seems like those guys are going by the wayside.

"You've got to have a lot of respect for them because not only have they been good, but they've been good for a long time."