The basement of my house pays homage to Purdue sports...We've got photos from tailgates, a gold towel given to the students back in 1996, other pieces of memorabilia, six different Purdue football helmets (from different periods)...all sorts of stuff. A couple of the pieces in my collection that I really appreciate have Joe Tiller's signature on them. One of them can't be purchased, and that's why I like it so much.
Back in 1997 following Purdue's victory over UND, I wrote the new football coach a note. In the note I wrote of how I liked meeting him months earlier when I was a counselor at Tark (as he made some P.R. rounds throughout campus), it also talked about how excited I was for what was ahead with Coach Tiller as the program's new leader. He responded, in less than seven days, with a hand-written quick note on a Purdue Football note card-
"9/19/97Not a big deal, but it meant a lot to me. I've talked to the man on the phone on his weekly call-in show a few times, and shook his hand around campus...and he's always been pleasant and I've always liked the guy. But, none of these stories would have been as noteworthy had Joe Tiller not had success as Purdue's head football coach. As he once said he was hired "...to win a championship..." He did just that in his fourth season as Purdue's head coach...That might be the problem.
Thanks for all of your congratulatory comments...we all appreciate your thoughtfulness. Keep the faith!
Joe Tiller"
Whether or not you believe Tiller belongs in the conversation with Nobel Kizer and "Fat" Jack Mollenkopf as the greatest football coach that Purdue has had can be debated, but he's definitely in the top-three...and his importance to the program and the greater athletic department is immense. After all, he knocked the cobwebs loose from a fanbase and a machine that greatly needed a reminder that it could once again be successful.
I've heard proponents of the coach say that he was a victim of his own success...There's truth in that- he rose the bar from the murky depths of the conference cellar to the upper third of the conference in no-time flat...doing so with players that no one thought he could win with. So many thought there would be another level of success as recruiting began to reflect the upward trend on the field. Sadly, the illusive and mytical "next level" never came. But the level his teams reached during his apex in West Lafayette were very respectable.
Purdue garnered national attention in the pre-season publications, and more-importantly by being invited to major bowls at the season's end. While keeping the streak of bowl games alive became more important than winning championships, his teams went from the top third of the conference, to the middle, to where we are now.
Coach Tiller has changed...and no one's blaming him for the change. I know a ton of 60 year old men who simply don't want to work as hard as they did in their 30s, 40s or 50s...I think I'll probably be that way. But, college football demands the type of time, passion and attention to detail that a younger Joe Tiller had. I appreciate what he gave to my alma mater, but it wasn't charity work, he was paid well to deal with the highs and the lows. And, until a few seasons ago, I felt he more than earned his seven-figure salary.
But coaching is still a hired position, in turn, he's not a king...and in my opinion, he didn't earn the right to do the job at anything less than 100%. He set his goals high and the fans, alums and students all followed with raised expectations; Perhaps he's set the groundwork that he set will lead to more championships...Only time will tell.
Regardless of what Danny Hope accomplishes in his tenure as Purdue football's next head coach, history will judge his predecessor well...his years at Purdue will be viewed as overwhelmingly successful. And as time passes, the Purdue family will look back more fondly on the Joe Tiller Era.
13 comments:
Oooh, that basement.... ahh, if those walls could talk... you naughty, naughty boy.
well said. i guess?
what's that mean, un-named one?
hall of fame post. you hit so many things on the head especially in regards to giving tiller's departure some time and then fans will appreciate him more.
Agreed, well done.
I'll have mine up later this week.
Good excerpt. I haven't been a fan of Tiller's work the last couple years but I'll always remember his first 7-8 years at Purdue and what he has done. Same with Keady.
About three seasons ago (in the middle of the slide) I began to wonder if Coach Tiller did himself harm by staying so loyal to Purdue.
I think Joe Tiller is a brilliant "fix it" coach. If he had left Purdue to go to another struggling program, I think he would have turned them around in the same fashion. (Lou Holtz is the same - Minnesota and ND were both revitalized and then leveled off during his tenures.)
Purdue Football and Coach Tiller might have been better off had they parted ways several seasons ago.
That said, I am grateful to Joe Tiller for giving Purdue a real football program. He once said that the difference between a "football team" and a football program" is consecutive Bowl appearances. He wanted to build a football program.
Coach Tiller accomplished what he said he would do, and while I still have "disagreements" with him, I owe him a huge amount of gratitude.
Well said
Tark NE445, 1996-1999
\When I'm 60, will blogs still be around to chew up my employer's time? Hmmm.
Chris, who was your counselor in '96/'97?
I want to say his name was Ben (tall, dark hair, kind of a Ralph Fiennes look). I lived in Tark for 3 years and then the Wiley Tunnel for 3 semesters and went through a number of counselors.
I also think that some props should be paid to Morgan Burke. I can't speak to some of the Olympic sports, but Ross Ade, Mackey, and the aquatics center have all been amazing upgrades. Throw in excellent hires of Painter, Tiller, multiple women's bball coaches and the guy has done an excellent job. We'll see about Danny hope, but Burke's track record allows us to give him a pretty big benefit of the doubt.
The only downside has been Keady & Tiller's last few years where it seemed like everyone was going through the motions. I really don't think there was anything that could have been done differently.
Good post.
Chris, I absolutely disagree with the Morgan Burke comment. He is not the kind of AD that can help bring championships to Purdue. Burke has done as much as he can and now it's time for him to go. Purdue would greatly benefit from a house cleaning of the upper athletic administration. Has anyone noticed that most of them have never worked anywhere else?
I was just having a discussion with my brother about Burke- his biggest problem is the fact that he runs the AD like a business...he tries to keep it profitable at all costs; winning is not his primary focus, but is A focus. Plus, Burke seems too lenient on coaches, so they hang around too long instead of being bought out, asked to leave, or fired.
All that said, I think Burke has been pretty darned good for Purdue...his hires have been good, he's helped the facilities grow and, (ref. above), the program has been profitable.
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