Joe Tiller
Joe Tiller (b. December 7, 1942 in Toledo, Ohio) has been the head football coach at Purdue University since 1997. Before coming to Purdue, Tiller was the head coach for the University of Wyoming football program. A Montana State University graduate, where he was a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, and native of Toledo, Ohio, Tiller is known mostly for a spread offense or West Coast offense system. While at Purdue, Tiller has coached such famous Boilermakers as New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Chicago Bears quarterback Kyle Orton.
Since taking over the Purdue football program, Tiller and his Boilermakers have earned nine bowl game berths in ten years. In 2005, the team finished 5-6 and did not reach a bowl game, but did rebound in 2006 to reach a bowl again. Prior to his arrival, Purdue had played in only five bowl games, its last at the 1984 Peach Bowl. He is currently second on Purdue's all-time wins list, behind only Jack Mollenkopf.
Despite Tiller's initial success, the team since 2003 is 0-17 against Ranked Opponents and has only beaten 1 team with a winning record. Joe Tiller has been under extreme criticism, calling for his job from many fans and alumni.
Purdue in Bowl Games under Joe Tiller
- 1997 Builders Square Alamo Bowl: defeated Oklahoma State, 33-20
- 1998 Builders Square Alamo Bowl: defeated Kansas State, 37-34
- 2000 Outback Bowl: lost to Georgia, 28-25 (OT)
- 2001 Rose Bowl presented by AT&T: lost to Washington, 34-24
- 2001 Wells Fargo Sun Bowl: lost to Washington State, 33-27
- 2002 Wells Fargo Sun Bowl: defeated Washington, 34-24
- 2004 Capital One Bowl (Florida Citrus Bowl): lost to Georgia, 34-27 (OT)
- 2004 Vitalis Sun Bowl: lost to Arizona State, 27-23
- 2006 Champs Sports Bowl: lost to Maryland, 24-7
Some of the Tiller Era Boilermakers Currently in the NFL
- Ian Allen, OT, Arizona Cardinals
- Akin Ayodele, LB, Dallas Cowboys
- Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
- Kelly Butler, OT, Cleveland Browns
- Rosevelt Colvin, LB, New England Patriots **
- Charles Davis, TE, New York Giants
- Travis Dorsch, K, New York Giants
- Ray Edwards, DE, Minnesota Vikings
- Gilbert Gardner, LB, Indianapolis Colts*
- Brandon Gorin, OT, Arizona Cardinals **
- Nick Hardwick, C, San Diego Chargers
- Michael Hawthorne, FS, St. Louis Rams
- Landon Johnson, LB, Cincinnati Bengals
- Niko Koutouvides, LB, Seattle Seahawks
- Matt Light, OT, New England Patriots ***
- Rob Ninkovich, DE, New Orleans Saints
- Joe Odom, LB, Chicago Bears
- Chike Okeafor, DE, Arizona Cardinals
- Chukky Okobi, OL, Arizona Cardinals*
- Kyle Orton, QB, Chicago Bears
- Shaun Phillips, LB, San Diego Chargers
- Bernard Pollard, S, Kansas City Chiefs
- Jacques Reeves, CB, Dallas Cowboys
- Stuart Schweigert, FS, Oakland Raiders
- Anthony Spencer, LB, Dallas Cowboys
- John Standeford, WR, Indianapolis Colts*
- Craig Terrell, DT, Seattle Seahawks
- Brandon Villarreal, DE, New Orleans Saints
* denotes number of World Championships won at the Super Bowl.