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8/17/2001
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Welcome Back Issue
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8/17/2001
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Welcome Back Issue
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By Paul Trembacki
Sports Editor
The higher you get in the mountain, the more brook trout there are.
That’s about the only strategy Joe Tiller was thinking of during his break from coaching this summer. After a long year of football, Tiller spent a few weeks in a cabin in his home state of Wyoming relaxing and fishing in the creek that runs through his property.
"It’s a chance to unwind and get your mind on something else," Tiller said. "I just started fly fishing, but I don’t do nearly enough of it as I would like to."
Tiller usually catches trout — mostly rainbow, brown and brook — as well as some walleye. For at least a few weeks, fishing is the only sport the fifth-year Purdue football coach thinks of.
At his cabin, where he stays with his wife, Arnette, and two of their three kids who still live in Wyoming, there was no TV or VCR for miles and the phone was there only for emergency purposes.
No one can argue that Tiller didn’t earn a vacation.
After taking the Boilers to their first Rose Bowl berth in 34 years and coaching in the Hula Bowl, an all-star game for college seniors, in Hawaii in January, Tiller toured the country and landed what he called the best recruiting class he’s had at Purdue.
This summer was the seventh in a row that he took a trip to the cabin for a few weeks in July. But each trip seems to get shorter because Tiller is usually back to thinking about the football season during the last several days.
"Before I’ve left there I’m already mentally back here," Tiller said. "Maybe there’ll be a day when I can be there and not think about anything here, but I doubt it."
Such is the plight of a winning coach. He's got to constantly try to put his players in the best positions to win football games. It's worked so far at Purdue.
In the four years before Tiller came to West Lafayette, Purdue was 13-28-3 and didn’t appear in a bowl or finish higher than eighth place. In the four years since, the Boilermakers have gone 33-16, placed no lower than sixth, won a Big Ten tri-championship and played in a school record four straight bowl games, including two straight New Year’s Day games.
In 1997, Tiller’s first year, he won the respect of fans by taking the team to its first bowl game in 13 years. He said every Saturday was like Christmas because the wins were so unexpected.
But now Tiller has made winning a tradition at Purdue. He doesn't bother listening to what everyone expects of his team. He doesn't have to. He expects more out of himself and his team.
And his team expects more out of itself, no matter who graduated.
Senior defensive end Akin Ayodele said the questions about Purdue coping with the loss of quarterback Drew Brees, receiver/punt returner Vinny Sutherland and four starters from the offensive line motivate everybody on the team, including the defense.
"As far as what the fans and the media want, we’re not going to go out of our way to satisfy them," Ayodele said. "We’re going to do what’s best for our team and what’s going to make us win."
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Rested Tiller hopes to continue success
| Contact us |
SPORTS DESK PHONE:
(765) 743-1111
ext. 251
Sports editor:
Paul Trembacki
Assistant sports
editor:
Anne
McLaren
To send a letter to the editor, please email opinions@purdueexponent.org
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