Cradle of QBs in Spotlight as March Through Numbers Continues
The Cradle of Quarterbacks takes the spotlight in this week’s countdown of the best players to wear a Purdue football uniform.
Purdue’s quarterback history is so rich that one number is shared by a future Pro Football Hall of Fame member and a College Football Hall of Fame selection.
11
Jim Everett
Believe it or not, this future first round NFL Draft pick was no sure thing at Purdue entering the 1984 season.
Everett outdueled former Lafayette Jeff star/Parade All-American Doug Downing and Jeff Huber to earn the start against No. 7 Notre Dame in the Hoosier Dome dedication game.
“Going into that game, I was told by Leon Burtnett that I was on a short rope,” Everett recalled in 2000. “I had to be strides ahead of Doug Downing and Jeff Huber, two blue chip All-Americans, or those guys would be playing the rest of the time.”
Everett responded to the pressure by passing for 255 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Boilermakers past the Fighting Irish 23-21.
In that same 1984 season, Everett also guided Purdue past Michigan and No. 2 Ohio State. That marked the first and only time the Boilermakers have defeated the Wolverines, Buckeyes and Fighting Irish in the same season.
Everett led the NCAA in total offense in 1985 (3,589 yards) and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
12
Bob Griese
The Evansville native almost didn’t get a chance to become a Purdue legend, either. Until former NFL quarterback Cecil Isbell spotted a flaw in Griese’s passing form, Purdue coaches considered moving Griese to defensive back.
Instead, Griese performed feats never seen by Boilermaker fans. Winning three consecutive times at Michigan from 1964-66. Completing 19 of 22 passes in a 25-21 victory against Notre Dame in 1965. Guiding Purdue to its first Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, 1967.
A two-time All-American, Griese should have been Purdue’s first Heisman Trophy winner but lost to Florida’s Steve Spurrier. Griese was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
13
Akin Ayodele
The first of many talented defensive ends to play for Joe Tiller and defensive coordinator Brock Spack. Ayodele was a three-year starter who recorded 194 tackles, 29 sacks, five fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles.
The 29 sacks match Jeff Zgonina for second all-time behind Rosevelt Colvin’s 33. Ayodele earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior after picking up second-team honors as a sophomore and a junior.
14
Vinny Sutherland
Another standout from the Tiller era, Sutherland’s speed helped the Basketball on Grass offense go from 1997 to 2000.
Sutherland and Drew Brees combined to set a record that can only be matched: a 99-yard touchdown in 1998 against Northwestern. As a senior in 2000, Sutherland led Purdue with 72 catches for 1,014 yards and 13 touchdowns.
15
Drew Brees and Mike Phipps
I just couldn’t choose between Brees, who by a technicality is ineligible for the College Football Hall of Fame, and Phipps, who was inducted to the college shrine in 2006.
Brees, who was blocked from the Hall of Fame-mandated All-America honors in 2000 by the inferior duo of Chris Weinke (Florida State) and Josh Heupel (Oklahoma), did win the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best all-around college football player in 2000. Brees also received the Chicago Tribune’s Silver Football given to the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player.
He set Purdue and Big Ten career records for passing attempts (1,678), passing completions (1,026), passing yards (11,792), passing touchdowns (90) and total offense (12,692) as a three-year starter.
Phipps led Purdue to three consecutive 8-2 seasons from 1967-69. He was a unanimous All-America selection as a senior and lost one of the closest Heisman Trophy votes in 1969 to Oklahoma’s Steve Owens.
Phipps was the first quarterback to lead his team to victory against Notre Dame in three consecutive seasons.
16
Len Dawson
There would be no Purdue “Golden Girl” today if not for Dawson, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his exploits with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dawson began his Boilermaker career in 1954 with four touchdown passes in a victory against Missouri. The next week he threw four more TD passes in an upset of No. 1 Notre Dame, earning the nickname “Golden Boy.” The nickname inspired the wife of Purdue band director Al G. Wright to suggest his star baton twirler be dubbed “Golden Girl.”
Dawson threw 15 touchdown passes as a sophomore. While injuries limited him to 14 touchdown passes as a junior and senior, he still was a first-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957. But it wasn’t until reuniting with former Purdue assistant Hank Stram with the AFL’s Dallas Texans — which later became the Kansas City Chiefs — that Dawson displayed the talent that would earn him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
17
Ron DiGravio
The predecessor to Bob Griese at quarterback, DiGravio began the amazing string of Purdue victories against Michigan that would extend from 1962 to 1966. The DiGravio-led Boilermaker victories against the Wolverines were only the third and fourth ever by Purdue.
He set the tone for 1962’s 37-0 home victory with a 54-yard touchdown pass to Tom Fugate on Purdue’s first play from scrimmage. DiGravio added touchdown passes of 34 and 58 yards along with a 1-yard sneak for a score. The loss was Michigan’s worst in 27 years.
The following year, Purdue’s 23-12 triumph was its first in Michigan Stadium. DiGravio led the way with a touchdown pass and a touchdown run.
18
Bob Hadrick
In his 2024 obituary, Hadrick’s family noted that he attended Purdue “on what he humorously referred to as their very last scholarship.”
Last scholarship or the first, adding Hadrick was one of the greatest recruits in Jack Mollenkopf’s 13-year head coaching career. Hadrick became the first of just four three-time first-team All-Big Ten selections at Purdue, being honored from 1963-65. The others are Chuck Kyle, Rod Woodson and Tim Stratton.
Hadrick was Purdue’s Most Valuable Player during his junior season in 1964, and caught 113 passes from Bob Griese during his career for 1,391 yards.
19
Cris Dishman
The lure of catching passes from Jim Everett brought Dishman three hours north to West Lafayette from Louisville. Head coach Leon Burtnett and defensive coordinator Joe Tiller had a better idea.
The position switch to cornerback was initially disappointing to Dishman but it would lead the way to a 13-year NFL playing career and indirectly a lengthy assistant coaching stay in the league.
While at Purdue, Dishman recorded nine interceptions and was an All-Big Ten selection in 1987.
20
Chris Daniels
Nick Saban may still be seeing Daniels in his nightmares.
Saban’s fifth-ranked Michigan State team went down to defeat for the third consecutive season to Joe Tiller’s Boilermakers 52-28 thanks to Daniels hauling in 21 passes for 301 yards.
Daniels caught a school-record 121 passes for 1,256 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior in 1999.
Jeff grad drafted by NBA champs
Brooks Barnhizer, the leading scorer in Lafayette Jeff basketball history, will get a chance to become the first Broncho to play in the NBA after being selected 44th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder last week.
“Barnhizer is a high IQ player,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas stated moments after Barnhizer’s name was called.
After scoring 1,601 points in three seasons playing for his father, Mark, at Lafayette Jeff, Barnhizer added another 1,067 points at Northwestern. A foot injury ended Barnhizer’s senior season prematurely, but he still earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. As a senior he averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
Kenny Thompson is the former sports editor for the Lafayette Journal & Courier and an award-winning journalist. He has covered Purdue athletics for many years.