Purdue Football Wanting to Mirror Gene Keady's 'Hard, Smart, Tough' Mentality

Former Purdue basketball coach Gene Keady was on hand to take in football practice on Saturday. Barry Odom said the icon sets the tone for Boilermaker football.

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom looks down field | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Barry Odom had a special guest attend practice on Saturday as the Boilermakers continued spring ball over the weekend. Legendary basketball coach Gene Keady decided to hit the practice facility and catch an early glimpse of Odom and his squad.

Keady has become a regular at Purdue events, taking in plenty of men's and women's basketball games, volleyball matches, and now, football practice. Following Saturday's work on the field, Odom called it an "honor" to have a coaching legend in attendance.

Had the pleasure of having a 1958 NFL Draft pick/@BoilerBall coaching legend out at practice today. pic.twitter.com/ImeJ2tZaAA

— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) April 5, 2025

"Coach Keady was here, joined us for practice today. What an honor it is for me and our program to have a legend, a Hall of Famer, the best who's ever done it at his craft," Odom said. "To me, he exemplifies what I want our program (to be) — hard, smart and tough."

Odom said he's done plenty of research on Keady since his arrival in West Lafayette and is thoroughly impressed with the legendary coach's resumé. He remains Purdue's all-time winningest basketball coach, won six Big Ten regular season titles and led the Boilers to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Purdue's football program is undergoing a major overhaul this offseason. Last year, the Boilermakers finished with a 1-11 record, one of the worst seasons in program history. Odom was hired in December and promised to get the program back to its winning ways.

On Saturday, April 12, Purdue will host its "spring showcase" at Ross-Ade Stadium, allowing fans the opportunity to catch the Boilermakers for the first time. There will be scrimmage elements, but it won't be a traditional spring game.

That will be the first chance to see if Purdue is implementing that "hard, smart and tough" mentality that Odom wants his program to adopt — and one that resulted in so much success for Keady on the basketball court.

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