How Purdue Will Honor Joe Tiller on Saturday

Today, Purdue Athletics announced plans to honor the late Joe Tiller in Ross-Ade Stadium this Saturday when they play Minnesota. From their release:

* A moment of silence will be conducted prior to the national anthem.

* The Boilermakers will wear helmets that replicate the ones worn when Tiller was head coach with the addition of a tribute sticker.

* During the first media timeout of the first quarter, board of trustees chairman Mike Berghoff and athletics director Mike Bobinski will present Tiller’s son, Michael, and his family, with a commemorative football.

* A video tribute will be played at halftime.

* Members of the 1997 team, Tiller’s first at Purdue, will be recognized during the second media timeout of the third quarter.

* Tiller will be featured on the cover and inside the official gameday program.

Additionally, Purdue Athletics has produced commemorative buttons with the tribute helmet sticker logo on them that will be sold at the Purdue Team Store and merchandise stands in and around Ross-Ade Stadium, as well as at University Book Store. They also will be available at the Boilermaker Crossing. Proceeds will go to the Cowboy Carousel Center in Buffalo, Wyoming, and the Fabry Support & Information Group in Tiller’s name.

In addition to this, the Minnesota football team, Purdue’s opponent this Saturday, will wear a logo when they play in Ross-Ade this Saturday:

While we have talked about it here and on Twitter that Purdue should do more to honor Tiller (such as renaming the field, Ross-Ade Pavilion, or new Performance Complex after Tiller), this is a great move by Purdue. They may be small gestures, but it certainly will mean a great deal to Tiller’s family, former players, and the entire Purdue community. I assume bigger dedications are in the works behind the scenes (like renaming the field or buildings), but these will take time and will probably be discussed with Joe Tiller’s family after his funeral and burial.