The annual gathering of Purdue agricultural alumni was one for the record books on Saturday. Over 2,300 black and gold faithful came to see legendary basketball coaches Bobby Knight and Gene Keady together on stage for the first time. With Purdue Pete leading the way, Knight and Keady walked down the main aisle to a standing ovation in the Blue Ribbon Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Billed as a conversation on basketball and leadership, the two coaches swapped stories, reminisced, and delighted the crowd with off color remarks and inside stories of their legendary careers.
The two men, who were fierce competitors for more than 2 decades, demonstrated the enormous respect and admiration they have for each other. Despite the long and intense rivalry between Purdue and Indiana University, the Purdue alumni welcomed Coach Knight warmly, and he reciprocated by wearing a gold sweater. Knight got the biggest crowd reaction when, at the end of the program, he chided Purdue President and former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels to “Get off your ass and run for President. I don’t want to have to listen to Hillary for the next 4 years.”
At the event, several alumni were honored with Certificates of Distinction, and Ag Alumni Executive Director Donya Lester was presented with the Sagamore of the Wabash award by Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann.