Kenny Thompson

By: Ken Thompson In my lifetime, Purdue athletic officials have hired 11 football coaches. One would be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Several would have busts in a College Football Hall of Shame if there were such a place. Therefore, many Boilermaker fans will be cautiously optimistic when Ryan Walters leads Purdue…

By: Ken Thompson Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter continues to lay the foundation for a potential second consecutive NCAA tournament No. 1 seed. The Boilermakers will play in senior center Zach Edey’s home city as part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame doubleheader in Toronto on Dec. 9. The opponent? Alabama, like…

Flex Protect Plus sounds like a Medicare supplemental insurance commercial you might see on MeTV. It’s a different kind of insurance, though. One that should ensure the Big Ten Conference will be well represented in the upcoming 12-team College Football Playoff. It’s also an opportunity for Purdue to perhaps build some momentum under Ryan Walters.…

Not since the 1987-88 season has a Purdue men’s basketball team faced higher expectations than the 2023-24 Boilermakers. If Purdue reaches those expectations – a repeat Big Ten Conference championship, another run to a Big Ten Tournament title, the school’s first Final Four in an astounding 43 years – it will be because of a…

Like so many things, the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star basketball series isn’t the same event I remember following in the 1970s and ‘80s. Some of the blame belongs to college coaches demanding the series and side events be conducted in a week’s time so that their freshmen can arrive on campus and begin summer workouts. A prime…

At least one high school head coach has major expectations for Ryan Walters and the new Purdue football coaching staff. As part of The Athletic’s “recruiting confidential” series, high school coaches have been asked about their impressions of staffs from each of the major football conferences. The Big Ten’s number came up earlier this week.…

It was never fun for opposing centers to see Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus lined up across the line of scrimmage. For Detroit Lions center Ed Flanagan, it was a rivalry that was played out twice a year from 1965 to 1973. Flanagan, who starred at Purdue before launching a 12-year NFL career, once described…

When Jalen Graham’s name was called by the San Francisco 49ers early Saturday evening, the linebacker became the fifth former Purdue football standout selected in Rounds 4-7 of the 2023 NFL Draft. All-American wide receiver Charlie Jones, quarterback Aidan O’Connell, tight end Payne Durham, cornerback Cory Trice and Graham gave the Boilermakers their highest representation…

Once upon a time, Friday nights in the fall were set aside for students and alumni to gather at their high school’s football game. Bonfires, fish frys and post-game dances helped form lifelong memories for teen-agers. Like many good things, money comes along and spoils everything. Case in point, Wednesday’s announcement by the Big Ten…