Head coach Darrell Hazell is out at Purdue, according to an official release from the school.
Hazell’s Boilermakers lost their third game of the season on Saturday to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 49-35. Purdue AD Mike Bobinski said he did not make the move lightly, and based his decision on the team’s inconsistent results and lack of positive momentum during Hazell’s tenure:
“From the first time I met Darrell, I could tell he was a man of high character – a quality person who you would want leading a group of young men – but our inconsistent performance and inability to generate positive momentum thus far this season, along with the disappointing results of the past three seasons, made it clear to me that we needed to make a change.”
Purdue is 3-3 this season, with FBS wins over Nevada and conference foe Illinois. However, an embarrassing, 50-7 loss to Maryland on Oct. 1 combined with Saturday’s loss to Iowa, which saw the Boilermakers fall down 42-14 at one point, likely sealed Hazell’s fate.
Hazell came to Purdue following two seasons at the helm at Kent State, where he lead the Golden Flashes to an 11-3 record in 2012. He was in his fourth season in West Lafayette, but had never come close to replicating the same success he enjoyed previously. Hazell had just a 9-33 record with Purdue, and had never won more than three games in a single season. Purdue is not exactly a football powerhouse, but Hazell’s tenure was especially rocky:
https://twitter.com/smartfootball/status/787735059717558273
For those familiar with the program, this announcement was all but inevitable.
Multiple reports that Darrell Hazell out at Purdue. Seems like a decent guy but it was a matter of when, not if.
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) October 16, 2016
Receivers coach Gerard Parker will take over the head coaching duties on an interim basis.
