Jim Young had a good thing going at Purdue.
He arrived from Arizona and took over an underachieving program from Alex Agase in 1977. Young promptly built the Boilermakers into one of the best teams in the Big Ten. The no-nonsense Young went 38-19-1 in five seasons, taking Purdue to bowls in three consecutive years—1978-80. And winning them all.
After going 5-6 in his debut in 1977, Young led the Boilermakers to Peach (Georgia Tech), Astro-Bluebonnet (Tennessee) and Liberty (Missouri) Bowl victories. His 1979 team won 10 games, the one time in Purdue history the program has posted double-digit victories. Add it all up, and Young's teams posted a 20-3-1 Big Ten mark from 1978-80, finishing second in 1979 and 1980.
Young’s team took a step back in 1981, going 5-6. Then—just like that at the age of 46—he stepped down. The move in November 1981 prior to the finale vs. Indiana came as a surprise.
“It’s a shock,” quarterback Scott Campbell told the Lafayette Journal and Courier.
“It caught us all by surprise,” said defensive tackle Matt Hernandez.
Young had become an associate A.D. after Fred Schaus left to be A.D. at West Virginia. And Young wanted to focus on that role.
“After 26 years of coaching, my family and I have decided to concentrate on athletic administration here at Purdue,” Young said in a statement at the time.
Young’s name had come up in a slush fund investigation at Arizona. But he said then that wasn’t why he stepped down. He just wanted a change.
“I don’t know if this (not coaching) is forever,” said Young.
It wasn’t.
After sitting behind a desk at Purdue in 1982-83, Young was bitten by the coaching bug, taking the Army job in 1983. And he was a big success, going 51-39-1 with three bowls in eight seasons.
Purdue replaced Young by promoting the architect of the Boilermakers’ “Junk Defenses": 38-year-old defensive coordinator Leon Burtnett. It didn’t work out. Burtnett was an ace recruiter but couldn’t translate that talent into wins, going 21-34-1 in five seasons from 1982-86 with just one bowl (Peach in 1984, a 7-5 season).
That began a run of unsuccessful hires in West Lafayette by A.D. George King, who replaced Burtnett with the disastrous Fred Akers in 1987 (12-31-1). After Akers bombed in four seasons, King tabbed Jim Colletto in 1991 (21-42-3). And success still eluded the Boilermakers, as Colletto failed to deliver a winning record in six years on the job.
Purdue’s fortunes didn’t change until Morgan Burke hired Joe Tiller in 1997. And he proceeded to lead Purdue to 10 bowls in 12 years, including a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl in the 2000 season. But fans had to endure a lot of losing before Tiller arrived from Wyoming.
What if Young had remained at Purdue? Would the program have won a Big Ten title? Become a consistent contender?
Tell us what you think ...
He arrived from Arizona and took over an underachieving program from Alex Agase in 1977. Young promptly built the Boilermakers into one of the best teams in the Big Ten. The no-nonsense Young went 38-19-1 in five seasons, taking Purdue to bowls in three consecutive years—1978-80. And winning them all.
After going 5-6 in his debut in 1977, Young led the Boilermakers to Peach (Georgia Tech), Astro-Bluebonnet (Tennessee) and Liberty (Missouri) Bowl victories. His 1979 team won 10 games, the one time in Purdue history the program has posted double-digit victories. Add it all up, and Young's teams posted a 20-3-1 Big Ten mark from 1978-80, finishing second in 1979 and 1980.
Young’s team took a step back in 1981, going 5-6. Then—just like that at the age of 46—he stepped down. The move in November 1981 prior to the finale vs. Indiana came as a surprise.
“It’s a shock,” quarterback Scott Campbell told the Lafayette Journal and Courier.
“It caught us all by surprise,” said defensive tackle Matt Hernandez.
Young had become an associate A.D. after Fred Schaus left to be A.D. at West Virginia. And Young wanted to focus on that role.
“After 26 years of coaching, my family and I have decided to concentrate on athletic administration here at Purdue,” Young said in a statement at the time.
Young’s name had come up in a slush fund investigation at Arizona. But he said then that wasn’t why he stepped down. He just wanted a change.
“I don’t know if this (not coaching) is forever,” said Young.
It wasn’t.
After sitting behind a desk at Purdue in 1982-83, Young was bitten by the coaching bug, taking the Army job in 1983. And he was a big success, going 51-39-1 with three bowls in eight seasons.
Purdue replaced Young by promoting the architect of the Boilermakers’ “Junk Defenses": 38-year-old defensive coordinator Leon Burtnett. It didn’t work out. Burtnett was an ace recruiter but couldn’t translate that talent into wins, going 21-34-1 in five seasons from 1982-86 with just one bowl (Peach in 1984, a 7-5 season).
That began a run of unsuccessful hires in West Lafayette by A.D. George King, who replaced Burtnett with the disastrous Fred Akers in 1987 (12-31-1). After Akers bombed in four seasons, King tabbed Jim Colletto in 1991 (21-42-3). And success still eluded the Boilermakers, as Colletto failed to deliver a winning record in six years on the job.
Purdue’s fortunes didn’t change until Morgan Burke hired Joe Tiller in 1997. And he proceeded to lead Purdue to 10 bowls in 12 years, including a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl in the 2000 season. But fans had to endure a lot of losing before Tiller arrived from Wyoming.
What if Young had remained at Purdue? Would the program have won a Big Ten title? Become a consistent contender?
Tell us what you think ...
