Boiler Banter: Celebrating Gene Keady's Presence Throughout Purdue's Final Four Run

Gene Keady has been an iconic figure at Purdue for decades. On Tuesday, the legendary Boilermakers coach celebrated his 88th birthday. What better way to enjoy the day than celebrate his presence during Purdue's run to the Final Four.

Dustin Schutte | May 21, 2024

Legendary Purdue coach Gene Keady with Julia Edey, Zach Edey's mother / Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

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Purdue Boilermakers

What better day to celebrate Gene Keady than his birthday? Tuesday, the legendary Purdue coach turned 88 years old, receiving plenty of well wishes from Boilermaker fans across the globe.

This year, Keady's birthday gift came earlier than expected. The former Purdue basketball leader was front-and-center to enjoy the Boilermakers' deepest NCAA Tournament run since 1969, playing in the National Championship Game.

For the first time since joining the Purdue family in 1980, Keady got to experience a Final Four. When two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey handed the former coach a piece of the net after the Boilermakers' win over Tennessee in the Elite Eight, everyone's eyes welled up — even mine.

Zach Edey cuts down piece of net (with no ladder) and hands piece of to Gene Keady who never made it to a Final Four. #Purdue pic.twitter.com/5mWb4I7gJk
— Matt Glenesk (@MattGlenesk) March 31, 2024

To be honest, it's hard to see that video and not crack a smile.

I grew up within an hour's drive of West Lafayette. Mackey Arena and Ross-Ade Stadium were like second and third homes to me as a kid. My dad and I attended multiple father-son Purdue basketball camps, hosted by Keady. Somewhere in a dusty storage shed, there are a few photos of myself, my dad and the iconic coach.

I wanted Purdue to make a Final Four under Keady. When he retired following the 2004-05 season, it felt surreal. He was just one of the figures you believed would be on the sidelines forever.

So, when Purdue finally punched its ticket to this year's Final Four, the nostalgic feelings returned. Seeing Keady enjoy one of the biggest moments in program history — I'm not sure I've ever been happier for someone I didn't know on a personal level.

Current coach Matt Painter — who knows Keady better than almost anyone — felt similarly about sharing a Final Four moment with the coaching legend.

"To be a Hall of Fame coach and all that he accomplished and all the people that he helped, wasn't able to get to that Final Four," Painter said. "So for him to be a part of that — this is his program. Let's not mess it up.

"He did so much for Purdue, he did so much for our community and for our basketball program. So for him to be able to experience that with us and our players and our fans, that was really cool. One of the highlights of my career to be able to share that with him."

In my opinion, no college basketball coach deserved a Final Four appearance more than Keady. He was at the helm in West Lafayette for 25 years, leading the Boilermakers to six Big Ten regular season titles and 17 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Purdue played with the kind of toughness and grittiness that fans admired. The Boilermakers weren't always the most talented team on the floor, but they were almost certainly the scrappiest. No matter who the opponent was on the schedule, you felt like Purdue had a chance.

Keady established the "Play Hard" culture in West Lafayette. It's a mantra that Purdue continues to emphasize to this day. And it's one that helped the Boilermakers finally reach a Final Four for the first time in 44 years.

Purdue's NCAA Tournament run was special for many, many reasons. The fact that Keady was able to enjoy the entire run made it even better.

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