STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Penn State coach Joe Paterno was taken to a hospital Thursday morning to be treated for apparent dehydration, a team spokesman said.

The 81-year-old coach was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center by ambulance after feeling nauseated, said spokesman Guido D'Elia. Paterno has not been admitted to the hospital, but was undergoing tests Thursday afternoon, D'Elia said.

JoePa still plans to make a trip Friday to Austin, Texas, for a dinner with University of Texas football coach Mack Brown, D'Elia said.

Paterno had been on a busy schedule of late. He traveled to Philadelphia last weekend and also recently returned from a meeting with Big Ten football coaches.

Paterno was on the phone Thursday morning talking to two recruits before he went to the hospital, D'Elia said.

``He's over there tapping his fingers, waiting to get out,'' D'Elia said Thursday afternoon.

Paterno is coming off two 9-4 seasons that each included bowl wins. His 372 career wins rank second only to Florida State coach Bobby Bowden's 373 among major college coaches.

Questions about Paterno's health and age have dogged him in recent years, but he repeatedly has tried to downplay the issues.

His contract is up after this season, but both Paterno and school officials say that doesn't mean much.

The university president has said both the school and Paterno agree that a contract isn't necessary for a man entering his 43rd season leading the team. They have agreed to meet, as they have in the past, at the end of the season to discuss Paterno's future.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.