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Purdue legend Gene Keady a nominee for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

Scott Schultz

By Scott Schultz

Published:

Legendary Purdue basketball coach Gene Keady was named a finalist for the 2021 class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Keady was hired by Purdue in 1980, and was at the helm of the Boilermakers men’s basketball team until 2005, when he retired and turned the role over to Matt Painter. While Keady never made the Final Four or won a national title, he racked up 512 wins to become the winningest coach in Perdue history, and is second only behind rival Indiana coach Bob Knight.

A seven-time Big Ten coach of the year, he was known for repeatedly taking teams predicted to finish in the middle of the league standings, and bring out the best in his players. His teams at Purdue won six conference titles, including a 3-peat from 1994-1996.

In addition to his success at Purdue, he had numerous stints with USA basketball, and won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 2000 Sydney games as an assistant coach with the men’s basketball team. He also led the bronze medal winning 1991 men’s team at the Pan-American games.

On December 12, 1997, the floor at Purdue’s Mackey Arena was renamed Keady Court in honor of longtime Boilermakers men’s coach.

The Class of 2021 will be unveiled during Final Four weekend, which is tentatively scheduled for April. The enshrinement ceremony will then be held in September.

Scott Schultz

Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.