Coach Hazell's Outreach to Former Boilermaker Players

Coach Hazell continues to make the right moves, as Mike Carmin details in his post from Friday in which he shares the letter Hazell sent to former Boilermaker football players in April.

In the letter (which is here), Hazell asks former players to write a letter to the current players about what it means to play at Purdue and that he'll have the seniors read those letters to the team at camp this fall.

Hazell also makes it clear to former players that "This is your place. I want everyone who has ever played here to feel welcome. You are welcome to attend the offices, meetings, practices and any other thing you can think of."

So Brandon Hance, we're looking at you.

A Few Unsolicited Ideas for the Athletic Department

I've never been a person who likes to complain without giving solutions to a problem.  So here are a few ideas that Mr. Burke and Co. could implement that might invigorate the fan base and create some revenue in the process:

Alumni Paint Crew
Outside of the PC, Mackey is a dead zone to a large extent.  BUT, not all alums want to sit on their hands during games.

Charge $30 more for the basketball season ticket in two upper arena sections.  In these sections, everyone gets a t-shirt similar to the real student sections, and more importantly, people won't get in trouble for standing in this area; it'll actually be encouraged. this won't give the Athletic Department much more revenue, but it might motivate younger alums to be more involved.

JPC 2.0
Giving a couple hundred dollars each year is not something everyone wants to or can do. But, giving $25-$50 is a bit of a no-brainer.

Give it a clever name, actually market the idea, give a sticker for your car and offer special buy one/get drink deals at certain games for members that no one else gets.

Keep the Purdue Kids Club...promote it more
Love this idea...LBD is a member...he loves it too; it's very well done.  Hats off to everyone that's involved.

Make it fun
Have a stage set up away from Slayter that has a band (not a marching band) playing before and after games in Cary Quad, or some place else near by.  Allow this to work with traditions that already exist not against them so old people don't get angry at the new-fangled music.

Near the same area, have a place where kids can have their picture taken with a cutout of J Money or Coach Hazell, try on real equipment and participate in contests that win them promotional products donated by Wendy's, Puccinis, McDonalds, etc.

Stop Eating Your Own
Sites like this are free advertising to the loyal, core fans.  Instead of kicking us in the teeth, work with us to help promote upcoming events that you want people to know about via Twitter, FB, email.

Use What You've Got
Every college has a corps of built-in labor near by; students.  Create an Athletic Department internship office that gives an hour of credit and a resume builder that can help make this stuff a reality. Utilize RHIT, Sophomore business students or *gasp* LA majors like communications to help get the word out and make things happen.

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I'm no marketing guy...but I am a consumer.  Often it seems like the business of Purdue athletics is handled like any other business...but it's not any other business.  Alums, fans and students want to feel connected; don't just want to be consumers or clients, but family.  They especially don't want to feel like adversaries, but I think many of us have felt that way in the last few years.

This summer's alumni game last summer was an event in which the athletic department seemingly got "it"...sure it was blazing hot, but it was fun and had some specialness to it.

We'll all be more apt to part with our money if we feel like we're part of something bigger.

Neil Armstrong: Boilermaker

Armstrong, 1969

The first lunar landing by a manned craft is arguably one of the most well-known moments of humankind.  "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." is one of the most- famous quotes...and Neil Armstrong was responsible for both.

The greatest, most-famous Boilermaker ever, Neil Armstrong, has died at the age of 82.

Armstrong was a quiet and private man...he didn't make a ton of appearances in public and not many really knew much about the man personally.  What we do know from his career as an engineer and astronaut is that he was a brilliant-minded and brave-hearted man who somehow bridged the gap between scientist and cowboy, like the other original astronauts.

In the 1950s, he was a student on the same campus that you and I attended...and a beautiful building in his honor and statue of him stands in the place of the crappy buildings in which I learned how to do what I now do professionally. He played baritone horn in the All-American marching band and received two degrees from Purdue- one in '55 as an aero engineer, the second, an honorary doctorate in '70...the same year my Dad graduated from our Alma Mater.

24 feet have trod upon the moon's surface, and four of them walked the sidewalks of God's Country before leaving this earth to do so (Cernan the other)...this might be one of the most-elite fraternities of man, thus far. For all of you students reading this, especially engineering students, you might enjoy this quote from Armstrong,

"I am, and ever will be, a white-socks, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer ... born under the second law of thermodynamics, steeped in steam tables, in love with free-body diagrams, transformed by Laplace, and propelled by compressible flow...and I take a substantial amount of pride in the accomplishments of my profession."

Armstrong called the moon a "brilliant place"...and during the initial lunar landing said he'd "recommend it" to others.  I'd suggest students and those younger who are reading this take him up on his recommendation and work to get there yourselves. After all, he was just a kid from Cincinnati once...and a Boilermaker, shortly thereafter.

Every Now and Again, the Good Guys Win

I couldn't say no to those eyes either.

It seems the sports world, and the world in general are both filled with tales of unlikeable people having big success...but Purdue legend, and current Saint, Drew Brees is an exception to that rule.  Everyone knows what he's done on and off the field...as well as the fact that the city of New Orleans embraced him as openly as he embraced them.  Now, the Saints franchise will give him a big ole hug, figuratively speaking.

In the very near future, Brees might become the NFL's richest player ever...edging out Peyton Manning's contract from a few months ago. Click here for more info.

Hopefully the Saints will have more than 6 or 7 defensive players on the field this coming season...Even the wizard of NOLA will have a difficult time winning with that depleted D on the other side of the ball.

Purdue Athletics Department Plans Something Awesome!

Did you read that headline right? On this website??? Yes you did. Yes, we're complimenting Burke and company. Why? because it's deserved.

Here's what they're doing:

On August 4th, a bunch of old guys* who used to play basketball for Purdue will suit up again to play against one another for your delight and entertainment**.

Distinguished.

You'll see heroes of yesteryear like Troy Lewis, Todd Mitchell, Brian Cardinal, Kenneth Lowe, Carson Cunningham, David Teague, Matt Kiefer, Bobby Buckets, Tarrance Crump, Marcus Green, Chris Kramer, Mark Wohlford along with maybe even a few more...and the youngest old guy on this list (so far), Ryne Smith.

After the alums play one-another in a game-til-the-death,*** the whipper-snappers will suit up for their last and only tune-up scrimmage in front of a live, studio audience before heading to Italy.  That's right- not only will you get to see some of your favorite Boilers from the 80s, 90s, 00s and 10s, you'll also get to see the future of Purdue basketball...from Byrd and Anthrop's c/o '13 to the class of '16 (or '17, depending on RS), on together on the court for the first time, to the public.

Jay Simpson's surgically-repaired foot should be ready by then...so everyone should be playing.  Also, you'll get to see DJ Byrd's dialed-in jump shot- he's been working with ex-Purdue great (possibly greatest), Rick Mount.

How much would you pay for all of this? $1,000,000? No. $10 US.  Not too shabby.  For me, August fourth is now the light at the end of the tunnel of my summer doldrums.  Usually, that date is pretty cheery for me anyway, as I mark the anniversary of my birth on that day each year, but this year, it'll be extry-special as I'll be watching a real sport**** after months of regular season MLB baseball being nearly all that's available.

J and I talked about this event...and we thought the possibilities for upcoming games might be endless. You see, this is the first time and event like this has ever been hosted by Purdue.  What if they tweaked it next time, and invited back transfers to play Purdue greats- maybe you'd see Smooge raining treys over Clyburn, Landry posting up Vanderveran, Lutz trying to stop David Lesmond, Minnoy being swatted guarded by JJ or Hummel stealing his old pal, Martin's, lunch money.

One can dream.

But for now, we don't need to dream...Instead, just know that in 52 short days, you're all invited back to Mackey to send off the new Baby Boilers, and co. to Italia in style.

*"Old guys" is a completely subjective term...some old guys might or might not be 12 years younger than the writer of this post.

**Warning! The last time something like this was planned by the athletic department was a flag football game for Boiler football alums...that game was rained out.  All signs point to this not being a possibility in Mackey Arena.

***Not really.

****I'm sure this will piss off some of the readers...dag-nabbit, I just wrote about Purdue baseball; can't win, I guess.






Addendum: Does anyone know if AC was installed into Mackey during last year's renovation?  I think not...hydrate and wear flowy clothing.

An Outside Source Confirms Purdue Alumni at Ross-Ade Kind of Suck

Okay, well, there's more to it than that. Paul at Stadium Journey visited Ross-Ade for the debacle against Toledo. Here is his report.

Kudos to the students, band, tailgaters (even the alums) for giving Paul a good showing and helping him come away with an overall very positive impression of Purdue. These are the things we like to hear:

Purdue, and Ross-Ade Stadium may not be on most college football fans must see list, but there is a great value to be found here. This may be a basketball state, but northern Indiana definitely appreciates its football too. If you have the opportunity, don’t miss out on a great experience: Ross-Ade Stadium.


And I find it very interesting that Paul also noted what we've all been observing for years now:

The Purdue student section is something special. Seeing the thousands of young men and women cheering and gesturing “Boiler-Up!” in unison, is really an impressive sight. The alumni, on the other hand, are rather tame, and sure seem to have a penchant to give up on their team quickly if things don’t go well. I think they love Purdue, and being on campus, I just don’t think football is all that important to them.


Obviously, we all know there are many Purdue alums who love the football program and want nothing more than for it to succeed. But there is a signifcant portion of alums -- who we still can't figured out why they even go to games to sit on their hands and shoot dirty looks at fellow Boilermakers -- who have sullied the name of Purdue fans. So congratulations, miserable old people. You're now being noticed for how pathetic you really are. Thanks for that.

Chris Kramer Peers Deep Into Your Soul

Chris Kramer is on the cover of the first Purdue Alumnus magazine of 2010. Which seems odd, given that he's not yet an alum. But no matter. I'm sure our female readers will appreciate this cover and request poster-sized ones to put up in their bedrooms.

I also see a story in the mag is about "Breakfast Club at 25." Do you think they mean the tradition is 25 years old? Or is the article about whether it's still cool to go ogle college chicks at Breakfast Club once you reach the age of 25?

Prison-Style Fight: Students vs. Alumni

We're alums. We're old. We're even cranky. But probably not quite cranky enough to boycott the games because of rowdy students. Molly O'Halloran's delicate sensibilities were "sickened" by the students of her beloved Purdue. She doesn't specify, but one can only imagine she's referring to the "First down.... BITCH" chant that has, unfortunately, become popular in Ross-Ade.

And this is one of those funny cases where we can honestly come down on both sides here. Let's start with dear Molly.

Molly, first off, take it easy. You were a student once. And I bet you said -- and did -- some things that, were we to tell you children about them, you might turn shades of Hoosier red. Maybe not, maybe you were an angel. But not everyone is and if college-age students want to use a semi-curse word in a football stadium, well, I'd have to say there are worse things that could be going on.

Second, I think we're about the same age. And I love this line from Molly's letter:

"I was a student at Purdue in the early ’90s. The team was not good. Student attendance was low but we went to every game regardless because of our support of the team."

Student attendance was low but the students went because they supported the team! Wait, what? I'm no physics major, but that doesn't seem to compute. I kid, of course, but I think Molly let her anger get in the way. I also take umbrage with this part:

"We sold our tickets to the other games because I will not subject my children to the students’ behavior. The football games are not about you the students. It is about tradition, alumni support, John Purdue club members and the players on the field. The team can play without you, the Purdue University student."

Well, Molly, that's just plain ridiculous. I understand that you're angry (and boy, is she angry, since she heard these foul-mouthed hooligans at the Toledo game back in early September and despite the intervening seven weeks, she's still frothing!) but to suggest the team doesn't need the students is, um, a bit short-sighted, to be polite.

Has it occurred to you, Miss Molly, that the team is made up of, um....students?

Also, as an alum, you're most likely seated absolutely nowhere near the students. I know that I can barely ever make out what's being chanted at games, so I doubt your kids can, either. And if they're not ready for the words they might learn at a football stadium, well, I guess they're not ready to go there yet. But let me tell you something else -- those words and phrases are not much different from what they're likely already hearing on the playground at recess. I know, shocking.

And lastly to Molly, Purdue athletics -- despite what the form letters from Morgan Burke, Danny Hope and Matt Painter may lead you to believe -- are most decidedly not about "John Purdue club members." If we had to rank things and who the athletic teams are "about," I would have to say the students are at the very top (you know, since they go there and all), while the significance of John Purdue club membership is somewhere near the same value as my dog wearing a Purdue bandanna. Yes, the financial support is nice, but when Danny Hope was gushing about the support the team receives and who "deserved" the upset the most, who did he repeatedly call out specifically?

Yes, the students.

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Okay, counterpoint time.


All that said, the students actually should class it up a little bit.

We love that you guys are there at the games. We love seeing you screaming, posing, crowd-surfing, hoisting the "P" that's been there for many years, etc. But let's be honest: the "BITCH" part of the first down chant is kind of lousy. And sad. And it reflects poorly on you. And us.

We're all Boilermakers and that's an awesome feeling, especially on days like two Saturdays ago. But when you turn a fairly original chant (that already irritated other teams and fans, which we all loved) into something that sounds kind of classless, well, you're not only cheapening the chant, you're cheapening yourselves.

Don't misunderstand -- we fully support antagonizing opposing teams and their fans. Especially OSU fans wearing mid-90s era Starter jackets, Notre Dame fans who have no affiliation whatsoever the to school and IU fans who respond to football blowouts by mentioning their dusty basketball championship banners. What we can't really get behind is including misogynistic undertones to the cheers you do.

We're not here to tell you what to do. And we won't stop coming to games unless you beat us up. But remember, as cliched as it is, you're a Purdue student and you're not only representing yourself when you're visible or audible -- you're representing the entire Purdue family. Do us proud.

Let's Help a Fellow Boilermaker Win

This is Mike, Purdue class of '95. He's in a contest for which he's a finalist, but is in enemy territory. We'll let him explain:

I’m a Purdue grad living in Seattle, and am now one of two finalists in the local sports radio stations “Joe the Fan” contest. It’s basically trying to find the biggest sports fan in Seattle, and the winner gets season tickets to the Seattle team of their choice, and a monthly segment on the radio. How you win is by getting the most votes on the internet. As I’m sure you remember we knocked the local team out of the tournament this year in what was essentially a home game for them (I was there, and it was awesome). I think it would be great if a Purdue grad could be voted the biggest fan in Seattle in the same year we knocked their cocky assess out of the tournament.

As you can imagine, I’m a sizeable underdog to the other finalist, a Washington Husky, who has been using my Purdue affiliation against me to curry votes. I was wondering if you guys could do me a huge favor and post the link on your site and throw a few votes my way?

The deadline is 2:30 PST, this Thursday. Here is the link to vote.

So vote for a fellow Boilermaker. Or fellow Big Tenner. Or just a guy who wants to win and was clever enough (desperate enough?) to reach out to Boiled Sports for assistance. He's just like us, only he's got one man to beat for a regular, monthly spot on the radio.

If nothing else, throw him a vote for that license plate.

One Tradition

You already know how excited the current Purdue Football campaign has us, from the ads to the billboards. Well, it's not just a campaign -- it's the manifestation of a pretty wholesale new mode of thought around Purdue athletics.

The athletic department is debuting the first in a multi-part series online today around the One campaign, with the first seven-minute video entitled One Tradition. It will be followed by One Heartbeat and One Destiny. Naturally, in their infinite wisdom and modern grasp of the viral nature of online videos, they've decided not to offer a way to embed the video. So go to the following link and check it out. It's worth it.

Purdue Boilermakers: One Tradition.

It features many Boilermaker alums talking about the Boilermaker tradition -- both the past and what it can mean going forward. And also what they're currently doing, in bringing back past Boilermakers as mentors and a connection to what it means to wear the black and old gold. I love it.

You'll hear from Adrian Beasley, Bart Burrell, Ross Fichtner, Uche Nwaneri, Rosie Colvin, Ed Watson, Billy Dicken, Matt Light, Travis Dorsch, Anthony Spencer, Leroy Keyes, Tim Stratton and, of course, Coach Hope.

Nothing from Tiller, which kind of surprised me, but maybe he'll only be trotted out as an elder statesman after Hope makes his mark.

I particularly liked a few comments, such as Rosie Colvin saying that being a Boilermaker has been "the foundation for who I am as a person." That's some pretty high praise, folks.

I also enjoyed Travis Dorsch likening being an alum to being a parent, and the current players as his "offspring." Take it easy, Travis.

Ed Watson commented that once you put that helmet on, "you're a Boilermaker for life."

And Matt Light described how Coach Hope is very hands-on and physical, often "tossing players aside" to show them how to do the drill correctly. This is significant to me, because there was more than a little evidence that Coach Tiller was really never this way and was completely hands-off by the final years, letting assistants run things and often not even communicating with a lot of his players. It sounds like Coach Hope will indeed have this team fired up the way we've been hoping.

Now I imagine most of our readers are proud Boilermakers. However, many others try to tear us down and convince us that we're not as significant, that we have no tradition or a poor program, etc. Which is fine. But these efforts (and big props to the good work by the Purdue athletic dept and Haan Marketing+Communication) should serve as reminders that the pride many of us have in the program is not only in our heads. The players believe it -- past and present -- and the black and old gold will continue to rise. Hearing these guys talk about what they can and will do makes me believe again -- for the first time in a while -- that good things will be happening. And Coach Hope talking about Joe Tiller's arrival and immediate turnaround of a dormant program being his motivation -- and wanting to "do it again" -- get me amped up all over again.

We'll keep our eyes open for the next couple of installments. In the meantime, Boiler Up. The train is a-comin'.