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Former Purdue LB, DC Brock Spack not interested in coaching vacancy
Brock Spack seems like an obvious fit for the head-coaching vacancy at Purdue, no?
Spack was a star linebacker at Purdue in the ’80s and was the Boilermakers’ defensive coordinator for more than a decade — from 1997-2008. From there he took over as the head coach at FCS Illinois State and is now in his eighth season, amassing a 59-33 record and three FCS playoff appearances in the process.
But is Spack interested in the opening at his alma mater? No, evidently.
“I don’t see it happening,” Spack said Tuesday. “I’ve kind of moved on from that a long time ago.”
“They stink right now. I hope they get a good coach,” said Spack. “I’ve got a lot of pride in the place. I put 22 years of my life in there. I like to see them win. But I don’t think it will be me.”
Ouch.
Spack, 54, has been connected to the Purdue opening twice in the past, and apparently he is not interested in going through the process again. He was considered when the school hired Danny Hope in 2008 and again when the recently-fired Darrell Hazell was brought in in 2012.
From The Pantagraph:
“I’m not paying attention to that stuff. I have in the past,” said Spack. “I have my own problems right now. I’m at a great place. My focus is on the Redbirds right now.”
The 54-year-old Spack said he has not been contacted by Purdue or anyone on Purdue’s behalf. “I’m not anticipating any (contact) either.
“I just don’t see Purdue going after an FCS head coach right now. It’s difficult for me. It’s the same record that keeps playing over and over again. I don’t think it’s healthy for me to go through all that stuff so I don’t really think about it.”
A lot of names have been thrown around for the Purdue opening already — everyone from Western Michigan’s P.J. Fleck to another fired coach, former LSU head man Les Miles. The hire will be made by new athletic director Mike Bobinski, who was hired from Georgia Tech to replace the now-retired Morgan Burke back in August.
This much is obvious: Purdue is a tough place to win. The Boilermakers haven’t had a season with double-digit wins since 1979 and haven’t been much of a factor since the Joe Tiller-Drew Brees days of the late ’90s.
A guy like Spack wouldn’t be the flashiest hire, so his quotes aren’t exactly devastating to the Purdue search. Still, a letterman saying his alma mater “stinks,” though it states the obvious, shows the state of the program and can’t make Boilermaker fans feel very good.
So where does the school turn? There’s no obvious blueprint for hiring coaches, especially at a program without much clout. Hazell earned his stripes as an assistant at Ohio State. Hope came from Eastern Kentucky. Tiller came from Wyoming. So it’s not like Purdue has a tradition of plucking away a hot FCS or low-level D-I coach and having success. Bobinski will probably have to get creative.
Bobinski hasn’t hired a football coach in over 20 years, when he brought in Lee Owens at Akron back in 1995, but he was three-for-three when hiring basketball coaches at Xavier: Thad Matta, Sean Miller and Chris Mack. That track record should inspire some confidence.
Meanwhile, with interim coach Gerad Parker running the show, Purdue heads into Lincoln to face undefeated No. 8 Nebraska on Saturday. The Boilermakers dropped to 3-3 with a home loss to Iowa last Saturday.
For more Purdue news, visit GoldandBlack.com.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
