When you spend much of your first impression outlining wanting to win championships, then mention your archrival who won a national championship seven months earlier, it won’t go over too well.
It’s hard to fault Purdue athletic director Tommy McClelland for wanting to make a passionate impression on the Boilermakers. The football program has won three games in two years, so why not set the bar high? After all, Indiana was the losingest program in college football history before Curt Cignetti showed up and won a national championship in his second season.
Perhaps, then, McClelland should have chosen his words more wisely when he said, “We are here to win championships. If you don’t want to win championships, go to Indiana.”
To be fair to the Boilermakers, the men’s basketball team were national runner-up in 2024, volleyball went to the Elite Eight in December and there are recent national championships — women’s basketball in 1999 and women’s golf in 2010. But, that won’t save McClelland or social media from the jokes.
Here is how social media reacted:
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Social media reacts to Purdue AD’s championships message to IU: ‘Why on Earth would you say this?’
Reporting by Aaron Ferguson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Aaron Ferguson, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
