Tiller coached Wyo., Purdue
For decades, Purdue has billed itself the “Cradle of Quarterbacks.”
No coach did more to maintain that reputation than Joe Tiller. The man who guided Drew Brees as a Boilermaker and was the school’s winningest football coach, died Saturday at age 74. He died at home of natural causes in Buffalo, Wyo., the Harness Funeral Home said.
“Coach Tiller was an important person in my life and to so many other guys who played for him,” Brees, the New Orleans Saints star who played for Tiller from 1997 to 2000, said. “He did so much more than teach us how to win. He taught us life lessons and how to be great leaders and men.”
Tiller and Brees carried Purdue to rare heights at a school better known for basketball. Together, they led Tiller’s “basketball on grass” spread offense to the 2000 Big Ten title and 2001 Rose Bowl, where Purdue lost to Washington 34-24.
Tiller had an 87-62 record at Purdue from 1997 to 2008. Besides Brees, he coached two other NFL quarterbacks — Kyle Orton and Curtis Painter. Brees is the Big Ten’s all-time leading passer, Painter is second and Orton eighth.
“It’s a fun offense to play in, and it attracts young people,” Tiller told The Associated Press in 2008. “That’s why I thought it was a matter of time before everybody ran it.”
Tiller’s success at Purdue came after years of struggle. In the 15 years before the school hired him, the Boilermakers had a 54-107-5 record. Purdue played in five bowl games in school history before Tiller arrived; the Boilermakers played in 10 on his watch.
Tiller was an assistant at Purdue from 1983 to 1986. He was an assistant at Wyoming and Washington State before becoming head coach at Wyoming for six years. In 1996, he led Wyoming to a 10-2 record and the Western Athletic Conference championship game.
Tiller was inducted into the Montana State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013. Joe Tiller Drive, located immediately north of Ross-ade Stadium, was named in his honor Sept. 19, 2015.
Tiller is survived by wife Arnette; daughters Renee and Julie; son Michael; and grandchildren Paulina, Lily, Gus and Tori.
There will be a viewing in Buffalo, Wyo., on Oct. 11, with the funeral the next day.