Purdue Legend Gene Keady Suffers Health Scare, Expected to Make Full Recovery
Legendary Purdue basketball coach Gene Keady suffered a health scare last week, but is expected to make a full recovery. The family of the iconic Boilermaker coach released a statement regarding his health on Monday.
"Coach had a small stroke last week and is doing well in rehab and expected to make a full recovery," the family said, per GoldandBlack.com's Alan Karpick. "And we thank everybody for their concern."
Per the Purdue men's basketball social media page, Keady was taken to the hospital and has been transferred to a rehab facility.
Last week, Coach Keady suffered a small stroke and was taken to the hospital for evaluation. He has been transferred to a rehab facility and is expected to make a full recovery.
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) September 23, 2024
Coach thanks everyone for their well-wishes. pic.twitter.com/B5tuH8mT1D
Keady was the coach at Purdue from 1980-2005, posting a 512-270 record during his time in West Lafayette. He led the Boilermakers to six Big Ten regular season championships and 17 NCAA Tournament appearances. Keady was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year seven times in his career and was a six-time National Coach of the Year.
Keady has received many accolades in recent years, most notably earning a spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
Although he hasn't coached the Boilermakers in two decades, he continues to stay close to the program. He followed the team to its run to the National Championship Game this past season.
"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," Purdue coach Matt 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."
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