Boilermakers Country

Kevin Sumlin, Bob Martin Matching Donations for Purdue's Fund-Raising Event

Kevin Sumlin played four years at Purdue and finished seventh in program history with 375 tackles. Bob Martin is now the President and CEO of THOR Industries, Inc., and he previously helped fund the creation of a new football performance complex at Purdue.

D.J. Fezler

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Athletics announced Monday that former football players Kevin Sumlin and Bob Martin are among a group of donors who will match up to $3.75 million supporting the More Than a Game Campaign starting April 28.

Purdue Athletics designed the initiative to overcome an $18 million budget shortfall and prevent the university from cutting sports programs. Donors who gift $5,000 or more will have their name recognized on a wall outside Mackey Arena. 

Sumlin played for the Boilermakers from 1983 to 1986 and was a member of Purdue's 1984 Peach Bowl team. He finished his college career with 375 total tackles, which ranks seventh in program history.

After his collegiate career, Sumlin coached at the college ranks from 1989 to 2020, which included stints as the head coach of Houston, Texas A&M and Arizona. He coached the wide receivers at his alma mater from 1998 to 2000.

"As an alum and former student-athlete, I know firsthand the impact that sport and education can have on a person's life," Sumlin told Purdue. "I'm proud of Purdue for leading the way to preserve sports and jobs during this difficult time. It was an easy decision to support that effort, and I hope other Boilers will join me."

Martin played on the offensive line at Purdue from 1988 to 1991 and is now the President and CEO of THOR Industries Inc., an RV manufacturing company based in Elkhart, Indiana. He and his wife, Amy Martin, also helped fund the creation of a new football performance complex at Purdue back in 2015.

"The values of grit, teamwork, and perseverance I learned while playing at Purdue are a huge part of the reason I am in the position to give back," Martin said. "I am so pleased with Purdue for fighting to give our student-athletes the opportunities that I was blessed with, even while other schools had to make the difficult decision to cut sports. Amy and I are proud to give our support to this extremely important effort and hope Boilers everywhere will join us!"

Beginning on the Purdue Day of Giving on April 28, the donors will match gifts of $2,500 or more over a maximum of five years. 

Stories Related to Purdue Athletics 

  • BASEBALL LOSING SKID: Purdue baseball is riding a three-game losing streak following a 1-0 loss to Illinois on Sunday. The team will travel to Ohio State on April 30. CLICK HERE 
  • DOYUONA TRANSFERS: Emmanuel Dowuona joins Aaron Wheeler as the second Boilermaker player to leave the team via the transfer portal. Dowuona committed to Tennessee State on Sunday. CLICK HERE 
  • LEROY KEYES REMEMBERED:  Leroy Keyes was remembered by a public viewing at the Mollenkopf Indoor Facility on Saturday, followed by a private ceremony for invited family, friends and colleagues. CLICK HERE 

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D.J. Fezler
D.J. FEZLER

D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball. 

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