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Former Purdue head football coach passes away at 78
Published:
Former Purdue head football coach Leon Burtnett has passed away, according to a report from Randy Myers of NewsTalk 1230. He was 78 years old.
According to the report, Burtnett died in his sleep on Monday night.
Burtnett was the head coach at Purdue from 1982-86. He started with the program in 1977, working as the defensive coordinator before being named the leader of the Boilermakers.
BREAKING: Former Arkansas State DC and Purdue head football coach Leon Burtnett passed in his sleep last night @ the age of 78.
— Randy Myers (@RM_BlazerVoice) June 1, 2021
Burtnett won 21 games over five years during his time in West Lafayette and his best season came in 1984. That year, Purdue started the season with a 23-21 upset victory over No. 8 Notre Dame and also shocked No. 2 Ohio State 28-23 in October. The Boilermakers also posted victories over Minnesota, Michigan State, Northwestern, Michigan and Indiana to finish with a 7-4 record and make an appearance in the Peach Bowl.
Purdue lost a heartbreaker to Virginia in the Peach Bowl, falling 27-24.
In five seasons at Purdue, Burtnett went 4-1 against arch rival Indiana, with the only loss in the Old Oaken Bucket game coming in his first year in 1982.
Burtnett enjoyed a coaching career that spanned from 1965-2012. He also had stops at Colorado State, Montana State, Washington State, Wyoming, San Jose State, Michigan State, Fresno State, Northeast Louisiana, Arkansas State, Houston and Montana at the college level. He also spent five seasons as the running backs coach with the Indianapolis Colts.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB