Near misses, notable names: Jim Colletto's Purdue legacy

There’s a certain clarity that comes with time in coaching.

Wins fade, losses linger and, eventually, perspective settles in somewhere in between. For former Purdue head coach Jim Colletto, the memories that remain from his run in West Lafayette aren’t just about scoreboards—they’re about people, relationships and a handful of moments that could have changed everything.

Building Without a Net

Jim Colletto was looking for another bite from the head coaching apple when he took the Purdue job in 1991. He endured a bumpy five-year as coach of Cal State Fullerton, going 17-38-1 from 1975-79.

“I was 29 when I got the job and thought I’d be next the next Knute Rockne,” fessed Colletto. “But Fullerton had just moved from whatever division they were in to Division One.”

In the wake of the disastrous Fred Akers era, Colletto got his second chance at Purdue, a place he was offensive coordinator under Leon Burtnett from 1982-84.

“I knew the people. I knew the place,” Colletto told GoldandBlack.com from his home in Carmel Valley Calif., just over the hill from Monterey where he grew up. “That makes a big difference. And I wanted another opportunity to be a head coach.”

The job he walked in to barely resembles the one coaches face today. Back in 1991, there was no transfer portal. No NIL. No shortcuts. Five-year plans were a thing.

“You had to recruit and develop,” he said. “That takes time.”

Time, however, is rarely a luxury in college football today.

Purdue was trying to claw its way back to relevance, and while the record never fully reflected it, the foundation was forming.

NFL-caliber players were being developed. The roster wasn’t empty when Joe Tilller took over in 1997. The pieces were there. And Tiller pushed all the right buttons to launch an ultra successful four-year stretch to start his 12-year run in West Lafayette.

“He did a tremendous job,” said Colletto of Tiller, whose stint as Purdue’s DC overlapped with Colletto’s time on campus as OC. “But there was talent in that program already.”

The Ones That Got Away

Ask any coach, and they’ll tell you: The losses stick longer than the wins. Not the blowouts—the close ones.

For the 81-year-old Colletto, there are a few that never quite left.

A near-upset of No. 23 Wisconsin in 1994. A Top-15 showdown with Northwestern in 1996 that slipped away. And one in particular—a wild 59–56 loss at the Metrodome in Minnesota in 1993 in which the teams combined for 1,184 yards—still gnaws.

“We moved the ball all day,” Colletto said. “But we couldn’t get the stop at the end.”

After the game, Colletto was quoted thusly: “We did it the hard way, they did it the fun way. My kidneys hurt from yelling so much.”

After the stupefying shootout, defensive coordinator Moe Ankney and defensive line coach Tony Caviglia turned in their resignations on Sunday.

“They offered their resignations and we accepted them,” Colletto said at the time.

It’s those games, the ones decided by a single play, that shape how a tenure is remembered—and how a coach remembers it himself.

A Decision Made for the Program wins

It wasn’t all stinging losses during Colletto’s time at Purdue.

There was a shocking 26-24 victory at West Virginia to open the 1995 season. A 42-21 triumph vs. NC State in 1996 in which Purdue ran for 374 yards.

And who can forget when Purdue ambushed No. 17 Cal in the 1992 opener?

“I told the team the night before that Cal was riding a bus with pieces of straw hanging out of their mouth. They were saying they were playing a bunch of country boys, and they didn’t have a lot of respect for us Midwesterners and all that.

“Now, Cal never really said that. I don’t know if any of that works. None of that stuff, once you start playing, none of that works. But they played really well that day. Our guys played great.”

Purdue 41, Cal 14.

A Decision Made for the Program

In 1996, with the season winding down, Colletto made a move few coaches are willing to make: He said he was going to step down at the end of the season. Three games remained.

It wasn’t about surrender. It was about timing.

“If you wait until the end of the season, you put the program behind,” he said. “Recruiting, hiring—it all gets delayed. I wanted Purdue to have the best chance to move forward.”

What happened next said more about his team than any record could. A week after the announcement, Purdue stunned No. 9 Michigan, 9-3.

“They didn’t quit,” he said. “That told you everything about those players.”

Rumor has it Colletto asked AD Morgan Burke to reconsider his resignation after the big win.

“No, I didn’t,” said Colletto.

The Players Who Defined It

There were plenty of names. Some expected. Others not.

Mike Alstott stands at the top of the list—a player whose physical style matched his work ethic.

“You knew right away he was special,” Colletto said. “But it wasn’t just the talent. It was who he was.”

Alstott remains Purdue’s all-time leading rusher (3,635 yards) 30 years after leaving campus. And he saved his best for last in 1995 at Indiana, when he ran for 264 yards in a memorable 51-14 victory on Thanksgiving. He came out of the game only 13 yards from breaking Otis Armstrong’s single-game mark of 276 rush yards.

“I’ve talked to him about that a number of times,” said Colletto. “I apologize for taking him out of the game early.”

Other standouts Colletto procured required a sharper eye. Matt Light arrived with little fanfare as a tight end and left as a future pro offensive tackle. O-lineman Chukky Okobi followed a similar path. Billy Dicken showed promise before injuries intervened, eventually blossoming into an All-Big Ten QB. Don’t forget about players like Rosevelt Colvin, Edwin Watson, Chike Okeafor and Chukie Nwokorie–all future NFLers.

And then there was quarterback Eric Hunter—one of the most gifted players Colletto ever coached.

“He could do everything,” he said. “But he had a lot going on off the field. Sometimes that impacts a career more than anything else.

Something to change

If there’s one thing Colletto would change, it’s not a play call or a single decision—it’s philosophical.

“I would have put even more emphasis on defense,” he said. “Offense is great, but defense controls games.”

That realization came into sharper focus later in his career, including a stint at Notre Dame as offensive coordinator after he left Purdue, where expectations—and scrutiny—operate at another level entirely.

“The spotlight is different there,” he said. “Everything is magnified.”

What Lasts

Today, the wins and losses feel distant. The relationships don’t.

Colletto keeps up with former players, having watched their careers unfold long after football ends. Including D-lineman Jeff Zgnonia.

“Jeff was there when I got there,” said Colletto. “We could have used a whole bunch of defensive linemen over the years like him.”

Zgonina played 17 years in the NFL and has had a long run as an assistant coach in the pros.

Another player Colletto inherited and molded: Ryan Grigson.

“When we first got there, he won’t mind me saying it, he wasn’t very good,” said Colletto. “And (OL coach) Tom Freeman coached him hard, and I coached him hard, and to Ryan’s credit, he busted his butt. He turned himself into a hell of a player who got drafted.”

Grigson later became GM of the Indianapolis Colts and currently works in the Vikings front office.

“That’s what matters,” Colletto said. “What they’ve done with their lives.”

Colletto hasn’t been back to West Lafayette in years. Life has moved on since he went 21-42-3 in his six seasons as Boiler boss. He went on to spend time as an assistant and offensive coordinator in the NFL.

But Purdue remains a defining chapter. Not for what almost was—but for what, in many ways, still is: A place where relationships were built, lessons were learned and a program, quietly, was set on its way forward.

“I enjoyed my time,” said Colletto. “Made a lot of good relationships.”

Jim Colletto (Wikipedia)