Schoolchildren thought Purdue's football coach was President Obama

Coaching Purdue to a 1-11 record isn't the best way to gain celebrity status. So it's tough to blame the group of first graders who mistook Boilermakers head

Coaching Purdue to a 1-11 record isn't the best way to gain celebrity status. So it's tough to blame the group of first graders who mistook Boilermakers head coach Darrell Hazell for Barack Obama.

Purdue coach Darrell Hazell says a 1st-grade class near W. Lafayette believed he was Obama when he spoke to them.

— Travis Haney (@travhaney) July 30, 2014

Darrell Hazell spoke at elementary school last year. “They’re giving me hugs, crazy applause.” Kids thought Hazell was Obama

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 30, 2014

Neither Hazell nor Obama are very popular in Indiana. Hazell just led the Boilers to their worst season in 20 years, and Obama lost the state in the 2012 election with only 43 percent of the vote.

Even though he isn't the leader of the free world, Purdue fans are still counting on Hazell to bring Hope and Change to West Lafayette. (Or at least not lose to Indiana.)

- Dan Gartland