Add one more coaching vacancy to the 2016 list. Purdue has made the decision to move on from Darrell Hazell as their head coach. Wide receivers coach Gerad Parker will take over as the interim head coach for the remainder of the regular season.
“College athletics can’t have a better man than Darrell Hazell, and I would like to see more individuals with his virtues in Division I athletics,” Purdue president Mike Daniels said in a released statement. “But while character is mandatory every day at Purdue, positive performance also must be there. With new leadership and the rapidly evolving Football Performance Complex, I’m confident that better days are ahead. The Board and I fully understand and support the need for a successful football program and recognize the positive impact it brings to the intercollegiate athletics department, the campus community and Boilermaker alumni and fans everywhere.”
Hazell was in the midst of his fourth season as Purdue head coach. Despite a 3-3 record through six games this season, it was expected Hazell could be in his final year as the Boilermakers head coach after going just 6-30 in his previous three seasons on the job. Purdue hired Hazell away from Kent State after he was the head coach for just two seasons in the MAC. After turning a 5-7 team into a 11-3 program, Purdue took notice and swayed Hazell to West Lafayette.