Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Darrell Hazell is Purdue's Next Coach

Nine days after Danny Hope was shown the door by Morgan Burke, Purdue fans and college sports fans in general learned who would become Purdue's next head football coach.  We talked about Kent State's coach, Darrell Hazell Monday evening and yesterday afternoon as a possibility...tonight we'll talk about him with assurance: Darrell Hazell will be Purdue's next head football coach.  But the last 24 hours have been pretty hazy.  We didn't enjoy them, but let's relive them anyway.

The combination of misinformation, flat-out poor information, conjecture and facts created a murky fog that settled in as the story broke at the end of the work day. If you were fortunate enough not to be near your computer or phone during that period of time, here's a general timeline:

Brendan Murphy broke it first at 5:00pm on the nose via Twitter:


And the information got wings via Twitter, Facebook and some websites*, unsurprisingly...but other sources began pulling back the expectations a bit as new info trickled in.  At 5:30, FoxSports Radio 1350 am of Akron, OH was told by Hazell that he had not accepted a job.

In the six o'clock hour GBI warned Purdue fans to not completely believe everything that was on Twitter- fair point.  But this was after they had tweeted that Hazell was coming to Purdue...then, at 7:20, they published a retraction on their site that spread quickly and people began filling in the blanks in the wake of Bielema's move away from Wisconsin and to Arkansas.


I not only believed Murphy's initial report, but I also believed GBI's a bit over two hours later.  I've grown to trust both sources as they typically do not miss the mark...and I've never known either to publish unfounded stories.  My guess was that after Murphy had heard that the contract was all but wrapped-up, something had changed.

The anger quickly grew within the ranks of Purdue fans- Many thought, not only had Burke missed out on Jones on Sunday, but now it seemed, he had lost his second choice two days later.  So for a little over one hour Purdue fans stewed and thought aloud about what was next.

But at 8:31, things changed again...as it became official.  CBS' Bruce Feldman tweeted that Hazell's deal was done and he'd lead the Boilermakers:


That was quickly followed by BTN's Tom Dienart's blogpost talking about Hazell as Purdue's head coach...EsPN followed suit as did everyone else. And the 3.5 hour roller coaster was over.  And to his credit, at the end of the process, we think Morgan Burke has made a very solid hire in Darrell Hazell.

Hopefully in the coming days, we'll find out the full story of why there was a pendulum swing in the information, but I doubt it. Hell, it could be as simple as the telephone game causing a misunderstanding, or as complicated as a third party (wife, agent, players, etc.) getting in Hazell's ear; as I said, we'll probably never know.

As I type, there's still no word on when Wednesday's press conference will occur, but there will be one tomorrow announcing Hazell's new post at our alma mater. Players who played for him at aOSU and Kent State alike have been singing his praises via Twitter...and current Purdue players seem legitimately-excited about officially having a coach once again.

Hazell is Purdue's first black coach in basketball or football, and only the fourth black Big Ten football coach. He has no direct connections with Purdue, but his OC at Kent State, Brian Rock, is a name you might recognize.  He was WR coach at Purdue a few seasons ago. There are no details available at this time on if Hazell will bring some, none or all of his staff from KSU...but those who come will get raises.

He made $400,000 as his base salary at KSU, but had a few incentives reached this season that bumped him up.  His buyout was $900,000. A couple news outlets said he was offered a $1.5million base salary...we haven't had this confirmed yet, but J published that number as his educated guess yesterday as well...because he's smart.  We'll have everything confirmed in the next 12-18 hours, most-assuredly.

We're excited to hear Darrell Hazell named as Purdue's next football coach...but can't say we felt the same about Hope five years ago.  We liked the guy from the beginning, and thought he deserved a chance to do well and have the full support of the Purdue fans.  But, we didn't think he was even close to the best option for the program at that point.  We were hopeful that he'd grow into the position.  Conversely, Hazell's resume, specifically his seven seasons as an assistant coach at aOSU, make us confident that he understands how to win...and his 11 win season at a perennial loser, in just his second season at KSU, makes us believe that he's simply a winner.
Hazell set to make a splash at Purdue
Moving Forward
There are tons of opinions out there about if he's the right hire or not.  Honestly no one knows right now.  No one knows if a guy fits at a university until he's there.  While a resume is important, the moving parts around him are as well.  If you're not a fan of this hire, but you thought it was time for Hope to go, you're probably thankful that a new era is upon us.  If you didn't want Hope gone, and don't like Hazell, the only thing that is going to get you on board, is time and winning a few games. If you're like us and thought it was time for a change and you like the hire, tonight, you should be grinning and sighing a bit.

"Nati Ice
Colorado has still not yet heard a final answer from Butch Jones.  And yesterday in a press conference, Jones acted like all was well at Cincy simply because he was at the press conference...but refused to address the elephant in the room.  The longer this drags on, the more I believe Jones is a bit of a prima donna or is awaiting a bigger, better deal.  That type of outlook and mentality will never work in West Lafayette.  We really liked the idea and resume of Jones more than we've liked what he's shown the last few days. Plus, we're just glad this chapter is put to bed.

Time for a New Tradition
Arnette Tiller coined the term "Boiler Up!" at a pep rally as her husband's Boilers were getting ready to play Oklahoma State in 1997. The phrase caught on with many Boiler fans, but at BS, we were never big proponents of it because it was derivative of "Cowboy Up!", which was yelled at Wyoming- Tiller's job before Purdue.  So, we'd like to propose a change...but we're open for suggestions...as these Boilers are just weeks from playing Oklahoma State in a bowl game of their own.

"Boiler Up, Hammer Down" was a salve...but "Hammer Down!" seems to work well by itself...and "Hail Purdue" is still a favorite.  Of course, if you wanna move away from these in favor of a phrase we use around here all of the time, you can try that too...but let's all work together to make "Boiler Up!" a thing of the past.

The train is coming...

Choo choo, muthas!

Welcome to God's Country, Coach Hazell!!


*A cautionary note to aspiring writers- you're not scooping a story if you're merely publishing someone else's scoop on your outlet.  EsPN might tell us differently, but there is only one scoop...and just like with a good joke, timing is of the essence.  No need to force the issue.

55 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think your footnote should be reposted in bold, 32-point font. A lot of people made mistakes along those lines this past week.

I think Jones is a good head coaching candidate, but his handling of this whole thing at Purdue and Colorado has been poor. Especially that bullshit about not wanting to be photographed and hiding behind a fruit cart at the Denver airport. But I digress...

Hazell is a good hire. He has won at a place where it is really hard to do so and has recruited well too. I liked some of the other candidates, but I can't say any of them would have made me more excited than I am now.

Kyle said...

Huh, I didn't know that about "Boiler Up!" I, somewhat hazily, remember first hearing it at the 1998 Alamo Bowl pep rally and Joe Tiller leading us on down in ol' San Antone. Truth be told, I never liked it, and thought it dumb way back when.

Anyway, I do like "Hammer Down!" as a new chant.

Here are some snarky suggestions...

"Space, bitches, Space!"
"Engineering!" Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap
"Fuck You, IU!"
"Who's got a Jumbotron? Purdue's got a Jumbotron!" (oldie and outdated, but classic)

boilertomko said...

I was a freshman in 1996. My girlfriend had attended Boiler Gold Rush, they put the "Boiler Up" in the fight song. At basketball games that year you could always tell who was in BGR because they always shouted "Boiler Up" while the rest of the upperclassmen rolled their eyes. I never say "Boiler Up" if someone says it to me I just follow with a "Go Purdue". Mostly because I just associate it with my dumbass ex-girlfriend.

Beenken said...

At halftime of the Purdue-OSU game in 2007, the widow of Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon (and Purdue Alum), presented the university with a 2 gram moon rock. After that game, my friends and I started claiming that the moon rock would give Purdue's football team mystical properties and started shouting, "We got the Moon Rock!" Which degenerated to just shouting... "Moon Rock!" or "Moon Rock, B*tches!"

boilerdowd said...

2000CE- Tiller and the Purdue Alumni association disagree a bit with your timing:

http://www.purduealumni.org/sanfrancisco/2011/09/06/joe-tiller-tells-history-of-boiler-up/

Thanks for weighing in, Hank...this place looks and smells better when you're here.

Everybody else, the moon and space reference are a good root; we all need to wrestle with this to find where it lands though. It's something that very few schools have and truly NO schools can match the frequency with which Purdue alums broke through our atmosphere. Truly rarified air.


Purdue Matt said...

GBI comes out of this looking pretty bad. How do 3 other folks beat them to the story? Shouldn't they be closer to the story than anyone?

James said...

Uh, Gene Cernan is very much alive and still a Great American and Boilermaker.

Morgan Burke has an incredibly difficult job. I like the way he handled firing Danny Hope and hiring Darrell Hazell. All in all it went smoothly and he probably found the right guy. Hats Off to Ryan Grigson and Bill Polian as well. We probably won't know what roles they played, but they certainly contributed.

Now we can begin speculation about assistant coaches, and I will be among the first: Jim Heacock for DC. Perhaps Hazell could keep Tim Tibesar as Linebacker coach and Ass't DC for continuity. Defense has been a problem for Purdue and changing coaches every year is NOT the solution.

BoilerNick said...

Couldn't disagree more on the Boiler Up phrase. Look, at Purdue we have very few traditions that people outside of our program know about. This is one. I think its great when you watch Sportscenter and hear the anchors say it. I know its a copy of "Cowboy Up" but it has grown its own legs in the last 15 years and should stay for all eternity (which ironically could be two more weeks if this Mayan thing comes true)

Purdue Matt said...

@James,

It went smoothly? What planet have you been on this week?

boilertomko said...

Boilerdowd-
That article is inaccurate or else someone is remembering wrong. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was there when Colletto was coach. We upset Michigan in Ross-Ade and I went out on the field. Brian Cardinal was a freshman and Chad Austin hit the layup in Bloomington to beat IU at the buzzer. I even sat glued to my TV in the Quad when Jay Severson was killed inside Wiley Hall. Hail-Bob comet was out that fall while I walked to chemistry study groups. All that was before Tiller was coach. I am 100% that BGR people were saying "Boiler Up" during the fight song that year. It makes a good story about how Tiller's wife coined that phrase, but it is incorrect.

Haylard said...

Great hire. Burke did alright here. Now pay the man and his staff and let's play some ball. Hopefully Ross-Ade gets packed again..and Burke, we don't HAVE to schedule a home-and-home with Kent State just because our coach was their coach.I'm all in favor of getting a Pac-12 team back on the schedule every other year or so. BTFU!

BoileRupp said...

You want me to put the Hammer Down?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oONKLahFk9s

Rob said...

Boiler Up isn't going anywhere. Whenever our alumni group gets together, whether we were at Purdue pre-Boiler up or not, we all say it to each other. I would argue that more people know Boiler Up as the Purdue phrase than those who know it is a derivative of Cowboy Up.

Purdue Matt said...

I'm skeptical of the hire. Burke said he wanted to honor our offensive heritage as the cradle of QB's, yet KSU is last in the MAC in passing offense. He's only been HC for two seasons with no prior coordinator experience. Working under Tressel isn't a positive IMO. They broke rules and the mindset there was to play it conservative and depend on OSU's inherent resource and talent advantages. Hazell doesn't seem to be an offense strategist at all. Will he punt on 4th and short like Hope? I'm not optimistic.

J Money said...

Way to give him a chance, Matt!

Anonymous said...

Ditto for me, 2000, except I was a Shrever Beaver. Big Joe is off a year.

Boilergal said...

I think this is a great hire. Seems most of the Buckeye fans seem to agree. I always preferred Hazell to Jones and it looks like Jones is definitely loving the attention and drama. No thanks!

As far as 'Boiler Up'... I just can't do it. I do and will always prefer a simple 'Go Boilers'. Or POTFH, when appropriate!

Also, James, do you work for MB?

boilerdowd said...

Agreed, BG...never liked it, never will. I don't like IU's traditions that are derived from other universities, and don't like Purdue's either. Also, the fact that aOSU fans like the guy so much doesn't really make me feel better, honestly...but reading about his past and listening to him talk makes me feel great about the hire.

Matt, if you watched Toledo this season, you can see that he doesn't coach like Tressel.

Rob (and others)- I like to reply to "Boiler up" with "Hail Purdue". Perhaps we should check out other Wyoming traditions and begin adopting, I guess.

Let me know if there are any others that you guys like:
http://www.gowyo.com/trads/wyo-trads.html

kkeller said...

I think that we as fans tend to swing to far to the extremes about things and the overall feeling about MB reflects that. I agree that Hope did not pan out as expected and that football has been disappointing the last 5 or so years but Burke has made some great hires in his Tenure and made some great moves.

- Hired Tiller
- Hired Painter
- Hired Shondell (volleyball)
- Hired like 5 outstanding women's BB coaches
- Improved the Baseball stadium (hired that coach)
- Improved Mackey
- Improved RA
- Improved the aquatics center
- Balanced the budget
- Hired Darrel Hazell (feel good about this and hope it stays in this column)*

I know that there are negatives too (believe me I know) but sometimes it is good to remember the big picture and overall I think it is better than most people give him credit for.

*He just needs to reward the staff and get some lights if they perform ;)

BoilerWhat said...

I remember BGR and being spoon fed "Boiler Up." We all agreed it was so bad, it was good. I guess I will continue to go along with it.

boilerdowd said...

What year did you go through BGR, BW?

Anonymous said...

Gents - what's the over/under on Hazell growing a mustache?

boilerdowd said...

Let's hope the mustache streak is broken.

Boilergal said...

While we're at it... can the Movember streak end as well. I know it is about awareness, though I'm not really sure for what- therefore, unnecessary! Too many men that can't pull off facial hair trying. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I have lost my appetite from having to look at some of that nastiness for a month.

Anonymous said...

"Why that's GENUINE asshair!"

sorry. vague SNL reference.can't guarantee it won't happen again.

BoilerWhat said...

BD: BGR for me was 2002. I remember being hung over after a Dave Mathews concert and it was miserably hot that day on Slayter. Never heard "Boiler Up" before that. I was sick and vulnerable, so it stuck.

Rob said...

I was at BGR in '96 and I am pretty sure "Boiler Up" was added to the fight song at that time, but I could be wrong since Tiller wasn't hired until my sophomore year.

You can hate it all you want, it isn't going away.

jbrunner said...

A few things:

1. I'm a big-time fan of this hire. For a while I was really excited about Butch Jones...but as his cocky attitude and lack of commitment, surfaced, he seemed less and less like a Purdue fit. Hazell is a winner, good recruiter, and seems to have that "it" factor that people can't quite place.

2. Regarding the "Boiler Up" chant, I agree with BoilerNick...it's grown its own legs and seems to be an integral part of Purdue culture. Why change it?

Boilergal said...

I graduated in 1998... Boiler Up never had any legs while I was there and I never noticed it ever at a bball or fball game and I went to them all. The first I noticed was at least a couple of years out of school. I realize it is here to stay, I just don't say it.

PatrickWB said...

Welcome, coach. Here's your Official Purdue Football Mustache: https://twitter.com/PWBobillo/status/276378537022341120/photo/1

Anonymous said...

I made an account just to post this. I have been a reader for around two years now. As a student I assure you we will not be changing boiler up any time soon, therefore am not sure why you are making this pathetic attempt. And by the way, while you are in the mood of changing a "tradition" God's Country has long been taken by Notre Dame. How about you start with that.

J Money said...

You made an account just for that? And you went with "Anonymous"?

I know 18-22 year olds know everything, but one day you might grow old like us and wish there were traditions that came from the rich history of a great university, rather than from Wyoming.

Nobody is saying you have to like our idea -- we've just never been fans of something that only came about in the past 15 years. You're, as always, free to do whatever you wish -- just as we are.

MrAnonymous said...

Boilergal - the Movember is to bring awareness about prostate cancer. I work in radiation oncology. There have been several men in my family who have been ravaged by that disease, which means I probably will be sometime as well. It's not about looking good, or "pulling it off", it's about awareness. In one breath you say you can't even be bothered to look it up, and in the second breath you call it unnecessary. Unbelievable...

boilerdowd said...

MrAnonymous- please tell me how someone's bad 'stache saves anyone's life or makes anyone more healthy.

This might be my least-favorite feel-good invention of our generation- wear something or grow something for a cause...no one who's sick benefits from it...yet we can all feel really good about it.

By the way, my Mom's a breast cancer survivor and I think the pink sweatband thing is worthless...unless proceeds go to some sort of research. I can assure everyone that me growing out a handsome beard does not help mankind along...and my snazzy pink socks didn't help save my Mom's life.

Back when I was at Purdue, they'd have Gay and Lesbian awareness day once/year...and they advertised that if you wore jeans, it showed solidarity to the G/L community. That was good work...jeans were what everyone wears. Pink gloves, sweatbands have become a fashions statement, and bad mustaches are in style...and they all are equally effective in helping a cause.

Anonymous said...

Simply following your generic names, whats more simple.

Allen said...

"God's country" does not come from Notre Dame. Many states, cities, and regions refer to themselves as "God's country". Its roots come from American exceptionalism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_upon_a_Hill.

boilerdowd said...

Un-possible, Allen!!
(by they way, we're sarcastic a lot around here...we are aware of Lafayette/West Lafayette's short-comings...but we still love the place)

CaryNW87 said...

Definitions of "Boiler Up":

According to PurdueSports.com:
What Arnette didn't know at the time of "Boiler Up's" origin was that in the days of steam-powered locomotives, when the fireman got the fire in the coal box hot enough for the engine to run, he would exclaim "Boiler's up!"

According to the Urban Dictionary:
"means to take a hot, fat, steamy dump."

Yeah, we need to change it, and as long as we're ditching manufactured traditions copied from other universities, let's get rid of "Shout."


BTW: Love the Hazell hire. The guy custom-built his offense around the talent he had available, two 1,000 yard rushers. I am sure he will find a way to utilize our speed. If I were him, just to be funny, I would call a bubble screen for the first play of the season.


PUhopeless said...

Just watched Hazell's presser on his departure from Kent State. Classy guy and will look great in a bent up Purdue hat. Very impressed with him so far and think he's a great hire. Hey, Tiller and Keady had nice shiny domes, maybe it's a good omen!!

Roll Coal Power!!

Haylard said...

Never would've dreamed there was an anti-"Boiler Up" crowd among our own....BGR '03 and '07 graduate (non-Purdue fan prior to that) here so to me it's always been there.Speaking of BGR, I remember having chants in support of our dorm...now those were absurd. The POTFH and "I hate this state" shirts are way more lame than Boiler Up!

Anonymous said...

Wow. The new guy is class all the way:

http://www.ohio.com/news/top-stories/flashes-football-darrell-hazell-says-goodbye-to-kent-state-gets-12-million-for-six-years-at-purdue-1.355622

PU Hopeless - is it only streamed or can a guy catch a replay online somewhere?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Darrell Hazell exit presser at KSU:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htt0wKtKPVY

Boilergal said...

Mr. Anon-
The fact that I have to look it up was my point. It's like those FB posts stating what color of underwear you are wearing... And, if you look it up, it tells you an even more generic reasoning behind it "men's health". Really?

Cary-
Agree 100% on shout!

Conk-
Being that you are a new little Boiler, I will forgive you. But, POTFH goes way back. At least to the 60's as my parents have some stuff from that era. That is tradition. Well over 50 years. Manufacturing Shout and Boiler Up and getting all the BGR kiddies to chant- that is not tradition.

zlionsfan said...

I think it's perfectly reasonable for people to appreciate things the way they experienced them more than after they've been changed. It wouldn't surprise me at all if pre-Tiller alumni/ae weren't big fans of Boiler Up and if Tiller-era and beyond folks liked or loved it. "When I was your age, we only had two cheers, and we liked it! Now get off my lawn."

No, really. Get off my lawn. It's December and it's still growing.

Hazell's gracious exit from KSU is a good sign to me. I think it's best to hire a guy who wants to be here and also has the background to make it likely he'll succeed. Hope had only the former; Jones may have had only the latter. Hazell may have both. He might be great, might be a bust, but at least I think the hiring process a) existed and b) went smoothly.

It's also good to see Purdue effectively promoting a black coach. (Purdue is a step up from Kent State, even if right now the team is arguably a step down ... I'm glad they didn't end up playing each other in Detroit.) It's a shame this is even notable, but a school can only hire one guy at a time. Props to Burke for hiring the guy he felt was best and for giving a good coach a chance.

Of course, a crappy staff will sink Hazell just like it didn't lift Hope. One thing to watch will be the OC ... will it be someone familiar with the scheme at Kent, someone who can run a scheme more suited to Purdue's existing talent, or someone else? (I frankly don't want the existing scheme because it sucks.) It would be interesting to see Henry run more of a veer-type offense ...

Anonymous said...

I am very happy with Hazell. Definitely the right guy. The local radio here in Iowa was making fun of him and Purdue. Then again, they are our Most Hated Rival.

I always disliked the "Boiler up" chant for the very reason that it was not generated organically from the Purdue faithful. On the other hand, I am ok with "Shout". Animal House always reminded me of Purdue, and "Shout" reminds me of Animal House. I know. Doesnt make sense.

Hammer Down. Hope out.

zlionsfan said...

Otis, my man!

Haylard said...

hahahaha thanks for the history lesson Boilergal! The vintage POTFH shirts can go in the museum with the band uniforms ;) BOILER UP!!!!!!!!

James said...

I'm on the same planet you are. It's just that I don't hate Morgan Burke. And no, I don't work for him.

The coach most everyone on this site didn't want the gig. He went to the much warmer State of North Carolina, where he must put up with Duke and UNC, all within eight miles of each other. Burke didn't even interview him, as far as I can tell.

The next coach was Butch Jones. Unless Jim Tressel was interviewed when he visited the campus recently, this was Burke's first sit down interview for the position. Jones visited for four hours and then left immediately for Colorado. The Cincinnati Enquirer doesn't know what's going on with him.

Burke then interviews a second candidate, Darrell Hazell, and ends up hiring him. Nine days from the firing to the hiring, and it looks that he found the right man at the right time.

I don't know about you, but considering the stakes, money, logistics, and personalities involved, in my opinion the process went very well. Maybe "smoothly" isn't exactly the correct word, but it worked.

Now we will see how he recruits, hires staff, organizes practices, deals with the media, works spring practice, and so forth. Morgan Burke did an outstanding job and got the right man. Butch Jones is not the right man.

PU03 said...

I remember the phrase "fire up" being replaced in the fight song with "boiler up" around 1999. Maybe some people are getting the two confused in the late 90's...

@BoileRupp the first time I saw the Avengers I told my wife they HAVE to put that on the jumbotron! " You want me to lay the hammer down!?!?" Love it!

BoilerBiker said...

i don't think Boiler Up is going to go away. i understand the negative view of it, but i guess i've grown neutral on it by now.

my votes for change...
1. Shout - needs to go. do crazy train, the blackfoot train train song, or something like that after the 3rd Qtr.

2. Jumbo heroes - needs to return now!

bologna said...

I've always wanted to change the cheer when one side of Ross-Ade says "Go" and the other side says "Boilers", I wish it was something less generic.

I was thinking one side could say "boiler up" and the other side could say "hammer down" but since most of you would like to scrap boiler up, then I don't know what to change it to.


boilertomko said...

Ok, I'll give in. Maybe it was "fire up" instead of "Boiler Up". Either way the saying should go. I've never even been a fan of Boilers either. Prefer Boilermaker. Shout should stay forever. The Gengem Style thing is pretty cool too.

Unknown said...

It is not a copy of another tradition; both just a derivative of a common saying. "Man up" - "Cowboy Up" - "Boiler Up".....it's all the same.

NickY said...

Regardless what the old folks think (myself included), Boiler Up is going to stay. It is for the students to decide now. I for one, attended Purdue after the tradition was already established. It's my memory of Purdue and I will fight anyone who threatens it.