Purdue Head Job Open

that is one of the best Subject lines ever!

This should prove to be a whole whirl-wind of speculation on this board. Based on the way the administration handled the Purdue coaching situation three years ago, any thing is possible. Dave Wahlman of SMU would be a great choice as he was a former assistant coach at Purdue, and since SMU has recently terminated one of the most successful men's track and field programs in the country in recent years, Dave would be a good fit. Joe Franklin, also with Purdue connections, of Butler has consistently done a solid job at Butler and would be a fantastic fit to fill the distance job as well as the Head job.

Purdue's athletic department doesn't have many Head coaches that are female so if they can hire a female into that position could cover them over 6 sports. Three years ago, the administration demoted a 36 year Purdue Head coach who had just been named Big Ten Coach of the Year and who's team was Big Ten Runner-up indoors, and "reassigned" the women's head coach who had just come off 2 Big Ten Team titles. Three years later the men's team finished finished 5th (thanks to IU messing up the 4x4 relay)and the women finished at the bottom. Doesn't seem like the current staff got much done in three years.

Watch the Boilers at the NCAA meet indoors. They should fair pretty well with the 4 kids they have there.....keep in mind, that none of them were recruited by anyone on the current staff.....(maybe, Kenneth Baxter!)

Anyone else have any speculations about the job?

Baxter is a transfer from Jacksonville University after they dropped their men's program. He chose Purdue for it's aviation program.

Will any of the current staff have a chance at the job?

Peter Tegen is available.... Interesting possibilities there.

I want the cross country cou=aching job. Do I have a chance? DOnt want/qualify for Head track job.

Will the new head track coach be hiring a new head XC coach?

The situation at Purdue is interesting. As the poster above stated, anything could happen. The AD totally screwed up when he demoted Ben Paolillo, who just had won two Big Ten titles in favor of the current coach. Why? Glad that you asked. Her husband was an assistant football coach and they didn't want to lose him. so they give her the head job and he leaves anyway. Don't get me wrong. The current head coach is a very good men''s coach. Women's program has gone from best to worst in the last 3 years. Gee, did the AD ever think that getting rid of a reigning Big Ten championship coach was wrong?

All I can say is that Purdue under Ben always was a complete team with good athletes all around. They recruited the compete midwest and made it difficult for midwest teams. They competed very well and were tough. Now, they are very weak and no one cares about them.

If is just a sad situation.

More screw ups by know it all AD's.

From the article on Lissa Olson, it indicated that the Administration was motivated to hire a Head Coach/staff who would try to do something with the program. But who knows what will actually happen. When does the best person ever really get the job?

when its you, almost never

Big 10 watcher wrote:

When does the best person ever really get the job?

I am sure that Purdue will do much better than the last Big Ten Men's job opening at Illinois. The Illini really screwed themselves with that one!

Word on the street is that Steve Rainbolt of Wichita State

has the inside track on the job.

I would be really surprised if Steve Rainbolt would look at that job seriously. It would be a nice move from Wichita State, but knowing the adminstration at Purdue a "qualified" coach like Rainbolt would be a stretch for them.

Oh well - who ever gets the job will have two very competitive throwers, and a chance to "re-build" a team from scratch. That would be a nice challenge.

No more of a strecth than Wohlman.

Bolt would have a hard time convincing his wife to move that far from Kansas again, but he would be great for the position and it's likely that Purdue would pay a ton more than WSU.

If my memory serves me well, didnt Illinois kick OSU's ass!!

I have seen what coach Rainbolt has done for our conference.

He has elevated it to a new level.He would and could get

Purdue back to its glory days.Wouldnt it be great to see

him and Wendel McRaven back together again? I shudder when

I think of the possibilities. I agree they would have to

pay Rainbolt a chunck of change, but in my estimation, he

is worth every penny he can get.

Are you guys forgetting the greatest coach in the MVC.Chris

Bucknam was winning MVC championships when Steve Rainbolt

was cutting his baby teeth.If anyone deserves that Job,its

Bucknam!!!

Bucknam,Wahlman,Rainbolt,Doyle or Franklin all are a good

bet.But the strength of Bucknam and Rainbolt is thier

skills at building programs vs the outstanding foreign

recruiting abilities of Wahlman and Franklin. Either way

you go you're a winner. McNichols was a thought, But I

heard he hates foreigners.

You are forgetting that 1/2 of the program is women and a female coach is leaving the program. What about some qualified female candidates?