Thoughts, ruminations, and somewhat sensical opinions from Ben Kolodzinski on the departure of Jeff Brohm.
I am hoping that this article isn’t catching any of you fair readers off guard, because -[SPOILER ALERT]- Purdue University head football coach, Jeff Brohm has foregone the remainder of his contract in West Lafayette, to return home to Louisville.
These types of things aren’t the greatest to write about, so I figure that I would just go “stream of consciousness” on this whole thing. Apologies if this is somewhat disjointed.
Thank you Jeff:
I want to start this article off by saying that I am very grateful for Jeff Brohm. He inherited a mess of a program, and brought them to the Big Ten Championship game and a game away from the third Rosebowl in school history.
Some younger folk do not understand how significant Jeff Brohm’s impact has been on this program. The perspective of coming from Fred Akers and Jim Colletto to the national prominence of the Joe Tiller era was a stark contrast. A breath of fresh air. The strike of lightning that Purdue found in Drew Brees, where Purdue was finally a threat to take care of the big boys of the conference is everything that I wanted as a Boilermaker fan. From the lowest of lows, to the highest of highs.
I should qualify that… The lowest of the lows wasn’t the Colletto era. It was the Darrell Hazel era. Hazell won 9 games in 4 seasons (3.5 but whos counting?)
That is what Brohm inherited. A team that averaged 2.25 victories per season for the previous 4 years.
We know what Jeff did here at Purdue. The rebuild is exactly what was needed. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses, but Purdue picked up huge victories amongst some head scratching losses. The success was recognized, as high school All-American athletes started committing to play in God’s Country.
I just want to say thank you to Jeff Brohm for providing that spark that this program needed. Thank you for the highs, thank you for the excitement, and thank you for the memories. The infrastructure and footing that he provided to this program, pulled this beloved football program off of life support.
Thank you for everything.
BUT…
In any union or relationship, there needs to be 100% commitment. There has to be trust, there has to be faith that everyone is focused on the same thing.
Any marriage will fail if your spouse is in love with someone other than you.
Jeff Brohm, and his family, are Louisville royalty. He is a Hall of Fame player for the Cardinals, and has always had a soft spot for his alma mater. Although he was proving his merit elsewhere, Louisville was always lurking in the shadows, courting the Boilermaker head coach.
Despite turning down the Louisville job a few years back, the opportunity surprisingly reopened, and the apple of Jeff’s eye came calling once more. Brohm, with a bank account padded by a lucrative Big Ten contract, meant money was no issue. He was now free to follow his heart. Really, an enviable position to be in.
Brohm has now reunited with his first love. I don’t blame him for heading home. I absolutely get it. I absolutely do not begrudge this decision. Jeff has earned this opportunity, and being able to be the head coach of the program that you set records at is what any coach would want. This is what he worked all these years for.
Now What?:
I am glad for what Jeff Brohm gave the Boilermakers. I will also say that he was absolutely far from perfect. Louisville is getting a good one, but not an immaculate coach.
So now, Purdue starts new. Mike Bobinski was hired for this exact moment. He already did a great job with one football hire, and he will have to do it again.
Whatever happens next is anyone’s guess. I, for one, am glad that we will no longer be dealing with the “will they, won’t they” drama from Brohm every off season. It was exhausting, and I was over it the first time.
This is an exciting time for the Boilermakers. Time to find someone who is all in. The future of the Purdue Football program is in front of us. Make it count!
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