Jeff George arrived in West Lafayette amid great hype. The Indianapolis native was lauded by most pundits as the No. 1 recruit in the nation coming out of Warren Central High. The Gatorade National Player of the Year, George could have gone anywhere in the nation. It came down to UCLA, Illinois, Purdue and Miami. And Boilermaker coach Leon Burtnett—one of the program’s best recruiting head coaches—secured George’s signature. It was a huge coup, perhaps a program-changer.
George liked Purdue’s passing offense that had produced the likes of Mark Herrmann, Scott Campbell and Jim Everett during his youth. And the arrival of George looked to be an elixir for Burtnett, whose program had been to one bowl and was losing its footing as it entered the fifth season under his watch. Burtnett needed success … now.
The 6-4, 218-pound George earned the starting job over Lafayette Jeff legend Doug Downing--a redshirt junior--in 1986, but George struggled replacing Everett, the No. 3 overall pick in the 1986 NFL draft.
George was thrown to the wolves behind an offense in transition, hitting just 53.7 percent of his passes for 1,217 yards with four touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 11 games. He was running for his life and was battered ... and often hurt.
And there was the infamous golf-cart episode during the Minnesota game in Ross-Ade Stadium. As George was being taken off the field in a golf cart after getting hurt, George's mother, Judy, matriculated to the field and joined her son on the cart. It didn't do much to build George's already damaged reputation.
The Boilermakers finished another dreary season with a 3-8 mark (2-6 Big Ten). Burtnett got fired after going 21-34-1 overall (17-25-1 Big Ten), and Purdue hired Fred Akers from Texas.
George wasn’t happy.
“Last year when I came here, I was told that Coach Burtnett was definitely going to be here five years,” said George at the time to the Lafayette Journal & Courier. “You just have to know whether you can trust people or not. There were some things that happened to me this year that aren’t happy ones, and I feel like I’ve been lied to in some ways.”
George—who had wondrous arm talent but an often sulking personality—didn’t think Akers had a quarterback-friendly offense.
“You’ve got to face facts,” said George. “Coach Akers has not been around a good passing game. …
“Last year, I don’t think I would have even considered going to Texas because of the tradition there. Last year, I was being recruited by almost every college in America, except Texas. That’s hard to deal with. Why weren’t they recruiting me last year?”
Initially, George said he would transfer to Miami (Fla.) but opted to stay in the Big Ten and went to Illinois to play for John Mackovic.
“When Purdue played in Champaign this past year, I was very impressed with the football organization and the spirit of the fans,” said George. “That, coupled with the pro-style offense … made me pursue the possibilities of enrolling at the university.”
After sitting out 1987, George played in 1988 and 1989 in Champaign and led the Fighting Illini to back-to-back bowls before declaring for the NFL draft where he was the No. 1 overall pick in 1990 by his hometown Colts. He played for eight NFL teams and threw for 27,602 yards with 154 touchdowns and 113 interceptions in a career that never fufilled expectations.
What if George had remained in West Lafayette? Would Purdue had gotten on track and become a bowl team under Fred Akers?
Share your thoughts.
George liked Purdue’s passing offense that had produced the likes of Mark Herrmann, Scott Campbell and Jim Everett during his youth. And the arrival of George looked to be an elixir for Burtnett, whose program had been to one bowl and was losing its footing as it entered the fifth season under his watch. Burtnett needed success … now.
The 6-4, 218-pound George earned the starting job over Lafayette Jeff legend Doug Downing--a redshirt junior--in 1986, but George struggled replacing Everett, the No. 3 overall pick in the 1986 NFL draft.
George was thrown to the wolves behind an offense in transition, hitting just 53.7 percent of his passes for 1,217 yards with four touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 11 games. He was running for his life and was battered ... and often hurt.
And there was the infamous golf-cart episode during the Minnesota game in Ross-Ade Stadium. As George was being taken off the field in a golf cart after getting hurt, George's mother, Judy, matriculated to the field and joined her son on the cart. It didn't do much to build George's already damaged reputation.
The Boilermakers finished another dreary season with a 3-8 mark (2-6 Big Ten). Burtnett got fired after going 21-34-1 overall (17-25-1 Big Ten), and Purdue hired Fred Akers from Texas.
George wasn’t happy.
“Last year when I came here, I was told that Coach Burtnett was definitely going to be here five years,” said George at the time to the Lafayette Journal & Courier. “You just have to know whether you can trust people or not. There were some things that happened to me this year that aren’t happy ones, and I feel like I’ve been lied to in some ways.”
George—who had wondrous arm talent but an often sulking personality—didn’t think Akers had a quarterback-friendly offense.
“You’ve got to face facts,” said George. “Coach Akers has not been around a good passing game. …
“Last year, I don’t think I would have even considered going to Texas because of the tradition there. Last year, I was being recruited by almost every college in America, except Texas. That’s hard to deal with. Why weren’t they recruiting me last year?”
Initially, George said he would transfer to Miami (Fla.) but opted to stay in the Big Ten and went to Illinois to play for John Mackovic.
“When Purdue played in Champaign this past year, I was very impressed with the football organization and the spirit of the fans,” said George. “That, coupled with the pro-style offense … made me pursue the possibilities of enrolling at the university.”
After sitting out 1987, George played in 1988 and 1989 in Champaign and led the Fighting Illini to back-to-back bowls before declaring for the NFL draft where he was the No. 1 overall pick in 1990 by his hometown Colts. He played for eight NFL teams and threw for 27,602 yards with 154 touchdowns and 113 interceptions in a career that never fufilled expectations.
What if George had remained in West Lafayette? Would Purdue had gotten on track and become a bowl team under Fred Akers?
Share your thoughts.
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