Purdue AD Tommy McClelland Explains Dig at Indiana on Pat McAfee Show

With a 13-second one-liner aimed at Indiana, new Purdue athletic director Tommy McClelland became a household name. Most have probably already heard the attempted zinger he threw at the Hoosiers, a joke that was criticized nationally on social media immediately.

"Every recruit, every current student-athlete will hear this message repeatedly: We are here to win championships. If you don't want to win championships, go to Indiana," McClelland said. "Make no mistake, we are here to win Big Ten championships and national championships."

"We're here to win championships. If you don't want to win championships, go to Indiana"

Purdue's new AD Tommy McClelland coming in hot 😳🤨pic.twitter.com/QFte0wxXvZ
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) August 6, 2026

McClelland hopped on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday to explain his attempted jab at Indiana during his introductory press conference on Thursday. He doesn't necessarily regret the comment he made, but he knew it probably wasn't the right thing to say.

"Listen, what makes college athletics great is rivalries, right? I'm having a great day yesterday, giving our vision, sharing what we're going to do here at Purdue, how we're going to set the standard and raise the bar for what's possible, and I made an off-hand, unscripted comment about an in-state rival that didn't land," McClelland said. "I knew it the second it left my mouth. But, at the same time, I'm also trying to establish what the standard is going to be like here at Purdue in order for us to achieve what we want to do. You have to send a message to your fanbase."

Maybe McClelland regrets the attempted one-liner aimed at Indiana — he equated it to hitting a tee shot into the water on the first hole in a round of golf — but his overall message remains the same. He's set on bringing championships to West Lafayette.

"The part that I'm disappointed in about yesterday is that that comment took and distracted off of what the real goal here is," McClelland said. "That is to set our eyes on what's possible for Purdue. ... We want to make sure that every Boilermaker out there recognizes that we can accomplish great things when we all work together."

McClelland talks about the opportunity at Purdue

Tommy McClelland is announced as the new Purdue athletic director. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A primary goal for McClelland early in his tenure at Purdue is to evaluate everything the athletic department is doing. He wants to explore new avenues to generate revenue and increase interest in Boilermaker sports.

By growing Purdue's revenue stream, McClelland believes the university can be among the top contenders in the Big Ten in every sport.

McClelland has also seen the success that men's basketball coach Matt Painter has had in West Lafayette. He wants that to be something every program within the athletic department can replicate.

"This is an incredible opportunity for us to re-establish what can be possible," McClelland said. "When you have 600,000 living alumns, the eighth-largest alumni base in the country, and 55,000 students on our campus, that gives you a critical, massive opportunity to do something special. You're in the Big Ten Conference and you have an incredible coach in Matt Painter, who is doing remarkable work, we want to make sure that standard that he has set permeates throughout all of sports."

Before hopping off the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, McClelland made another promise to Purdue fans: he's dedicated to building a championship-caliber athletic department. And, for now, he may stay away from the one-liners.

"We are going to build programs here that are better at winning championships than I am at delivering one-liners," he said.

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