Katie Gearlds on Induction into Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame: 'It's Surreal'

Katie Gearlds was part of the Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024. The former basketball star and current coach said it's a "surreal" feeling.

Purdue head coach Katie Gearlds after an NCAA women's basketball game against Wisconsin / Nikos Frazier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Katie Gearlds may not have envisioned having a Hall of Fame career at Purdue as a player, but that's how it turned out. Over the weekend, she was one of eight inductees into the Leroy Keyes Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.

Gearlds was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Friday, along with Bob Ford (men's basketball), Tim Stratton (football), Annie Drews (volleyball), Devynne Charlton (women's track and field), Laura Gonzalez-Escallon (women's golf), Kevin Plawecki (baseball) and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi (men's track and field).

On Saturday, Gearlds and her Boilermakers took the floor for Fan Day at Mackey Arena. Following the team's scrimmage, the coach talked about her induction over the weekend.

"It's surreal. It's wild. Something I never really thought of, dreamed of could happen," Gearlds said. "Coach (Kristy) Curry texted me, Coach (Sharon) Versyp texted me. Thankful for those guys. I think about all the teammates that set screens for me and got me open. We had some really good teams back then, I had some really good teammates, really good coaches. None of that happens without those guys.

"But super surreal. And that jacket they gave me is nice."

Everything it means to be a Boilermaker is right here in this photo.

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All Hail to the Leroy Keyes Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024! pic.twitter.com/QzhqlMA3Li

— Purdue Athletics (@PurdueSports) October 18, 2024

Gearlds played at Purdue from 2004-07, playing in 133 career games with 100 starts. She scored 1,974 points, ranking fourth in program history. She was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2004 and was a four-time All-Big Ten selection during her career.

In 2006-07, Gearlds scored 707 points and was named a third-team All-American. She was also named to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team.

Gearlds will enter her fourth season as the coach of her alma mater in 2024-25.

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