Profiling Purdue’s Indiana Football Hall of Fame Inductees, from A – L

Purdue’s membership in the Indiana Football Hall of Fame is growing by three in 2022 with the election of former NFL players Bruce King and Kyle Orton along with the late Alex Yunevich.

The primary criteria for induction is contributing in a significant manner to the game of football in Indiana from the youth level to professional football.

This week we’ll profile inductees whose names range from Adams to Letnich. Hall of Famers whose names begin with M through Z will be profiled next week.

Norb Adams – Four-year starter who came to Purdue from Hammond Clark High School. Adams played every minute of all 10 games in 1945 at halfback and defensive back. He was part of the only Purdue trio of running backs (Harry Szulborski, John Kerestes) to gain 100 yards in the same game, a victory over Marquette on Nov. 12, 1949.

Mike Alstott – The Joliet, Ill., native is Purdue’s career rushing leader (3,635) and career touchdowns (42). Alstott played 12 seasons in the NFL with Tampa Bay.

Otis Armstrong – The Chicago native still holds Purdue single-game rushing record with 276 yards against Indiana in 1972. Rushed for 3,315 yards in three seasons as a Boilermaker. Big Ten MVP and All-American in 1972. Played eight seasons in the NFL with Denver.

Mike Augustyniak – Turned down by Indiana, Ball State, Indiana State and Saint Joseph’s College after starring at Leo High School, Augustyniak went from walk-on to starting fullback on Purdue’s Peach and Bluebonnet Bowl teams. He then played three seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets.

Erich Barnes – An All-State defensive back at Elkhart High School, Barnes was a three-year starter at end/defensive back for Purdue. He was a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback during his 14-year NFL career with Chicago, the New York Giants and Cleveland.

Tony Berto – A three-year halfback/safety for Purdue following his service in World War II, the Clinton, Ind., native won a record 203 games as head football coach at Delphi High School.

Darrel “Pete” Brewster – The Portland, Ind., native didn’t intend to play football at Purdue, having played the sport just one season in high school. Brewster, a basketball standout as well at Purdue, played nine seasons in the NFL and won two championships with the Cleveland Browns in 1954 and 1955. Brewster also is a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Don Brumm – An All-American defensive end, the Hammond native was a first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1963. Brumm played nine seasons in the NFL.

Elmer Burnham – Coach of the undefeated 1943 Big Ten Conference champions, three of whom also went on to successful coaching careers: Hank Stram, Alex Agase and Bump Elliott.

Bart Burrell – The receiving half of Purdue’s “Carmel Connection” with Mark Herrmann, Burrell caught 140 passes for 2,126 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Frank Bykowski – The South Bend Central graduate was Purdue football’s MVP in 1939 and a College All-Star in 1940. Played with Pittsburgh in his lone NFL season (1940).

Jim Carter – One of Purdue’s “Touchdown Twins” in the 1930s with Duane Purvis, the Indianapolis Washington graduate rushed for 1,547 yards as a Boilermaker.

Bill Combs – Long before he became Purdue’s team physician, the Lowell native was team MVP in 1941. Combs was honored in 1966 by Sports Illustrated, which selected a 26-man Silver Anniversary team. He played one season for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Len Dawson – “The Golden Boy” came from Alliance, Ohio to lead the NCAA with 15 touchdown passes in 1954. Dawson was the first player in Big Ten history to lead the conference in total offense and passing three consecutive years. The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback was MVP of Super Bowl IV.

Bob DeMoss – The patriarch of Purdue’s Cradle of Quarterbacks was a four-year starter who gained national attention by leading the Boilermakers to victory at No.4 Ohio State as a freshman in 1945. Played one season in the NFL before returning to serve as an assistant coach/head coach from 1950 to 1972.

Boris “Babe” Dimancheff – The running back from Indianapolis Washington transferred from Butler to Purdue just in time to play for the 1943 undefeated Big Ten champions. In two seasons Dimancheff rushed for 1,399 yards and was an All-American in 1944 after leading the conference with 12 touchdowns. He played seven seasons in the NFL.

Ed Ehlers – Also a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, the South Bend native held a rare distinction of being drafted by three pro teams in three different sports (Boston Celtics, Chicago Bears, New York Yankees).

David Ellison – An All-State player at Michigan City Elston, Ellison was chosen Purdue’s Most Improved Player as a senior and played in the 1963 East-West Shrine Classic. His Southwestern High School teams (now part of McCutcheon) never lost a conference game in Ellison’s nine seasons (44-0-1).

Jim Everett – What’s a man from Albuquerque, N.M. doing in the Indiana Football Hall of Fame? That’s how good he was in a Purdue uniform. Everett’s powerful throwing arm set numerous Purdue records as a two-year starter in 1984-85. With the Los Angeles Rams, Everett twice led the NFL in touchdown passes.

Bernie Flowers – Recruited to Purdue from Erie, Pa., Flowers was a three-year starter at end with 82 receptions for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns. Earned All-American honors in 1952 after helping Purdue share Big Ten title. Played one season with the Baltimore Colts.

Abe Gibron – Played two seasons at Purdue after transferring from Valparaiso in 1946. The Michigan City Elston product earned All-Big Ten honors as a guard before enjoying four Pro Bowl seasons with the Cleveland Browns from 1952-55.

Bob Griese – Arriving from Evansville Rex Mundi an unpolished passer, Griese developed into the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player in 1966 and All-American in 1965-66. Led the Miami Dolphins to two Super Bowl championships and earned a berth in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bob Hadrick – Somehow lured to West Lafayette from South Bend Washington in 1962, Hadrick was a three-time All-Big Ten selection as Griese’s top receiver. Retired from the FBI after 27 years of service.

Mark Herrmann – Two-time All-State quarterback at Carmel, Herrmann led Purdue’s turnaround in the late 1970s. Graduated as the NCAA’s all-time passing yards leader (9.946) to go with 71 touchdowns. Most Valuable Player in Peach, Bluebonnet and Liberty bowl victories. Played 11 seasons in the NFL with Denver, San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts.

Roy Horstmann – An All-American fullback in 1932, the Mishawaka native played two seasons in the NFL for the Boston Redskins and Chicago Cardinals.

Lou Karras – Eldest of three brothers to play in the NFL (Alex, Ted), Karras was Purdue’s MVP in 1949 following a stellar high school career at Gary Emerson. Karras, a defensive tackle, played for Washington from 1950 until a career-ending eye injury in 1952.

Dustin Keller – After leading the state with 114 receptions to go with 1,804 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2002, Keller made the short journey from Lafayette Jeff to Purdue. Converted to tight end, Keller would go on to be Purdue’s Most Valuable Player as a senior. A first-round draft pick by the New York Jets in 2008, a catastrophic knee injury ended his NFL career after five seasons.

Leroy Keyes – Voted Purdue’s greatest player by Boilermaker fans, the Newport News, Va., product was an All-American in 1967 and 1968. Those same years he finished third and second, respectively, in the Heisman Trophy balloting. He left Purdue with 2,090 rushing yards and 1,204 receiving yards. Played five seasons in the NFL with Philadelphia and Kansas City.

Bruce King – An All-State running back from Heritage Hills, King spurned Michigan and Ohio State to play at Purdue. King helped Purdue reach the Peach Bowl in 1984 before a three-year NFL career with Kansas City and Buffalo.

Noble Kizer – Old-time Purdue fans used to wonder what might have been if Kizer hadn’t had to give up coaching in 1937 due to a kidney ailment that would kill him three years later at age 40. Kizer was a right guard under Knute Rockne at Notre Dame before coming to Purdue as an assistant coach in 1925. As the head coach, Kizer went 42-13-3 with two Big Ten Conference titles.

Glenn Knecht – From being a center/linebacker for the 1952 Big Ten Conference co-champions to mayor of Crawfordsville. Quite a journey for the Cincinnati native, who went 100-60-7 during his high school coaching career. Most of that was spent with Crawfordsville High School (1959-75) before becoming the city’s mayor from 1976 to 1987.

Joe Kodba – The Yugoslavia native, via South Bend Washington, began his football career at Butler but played his final two seasons at Purdue after his discharge from the Army in 1945. A center, Kodba was a College All-Star before his lone pro football season with the Baltimore Colts of the All-America Football Conference in 1947.

Steve Letnich – A first-team All-State quarterback at Valparaiso High School, Letnich began his college career at Air Force before playing his final two seasons at Purdue. Letnich was used as a quarterback, wide receiver and punt returner by coach Fred Akers.

Lamar Lundy – Before becoming the first African-American to receive a football scholarship to Purdue (1953), Lundy was a high school All-American in football and basketball at Richmond High School. Three-year starter at offensive and defensive end for the Boilermakers. Only man in Purdue history to win MVP honors in football and basketball. Spent 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams as a member of the “Fearsome Foursome.”

– 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.