Who was Purdue's basketball coach before Matt Painter? Boilermakers' coaching history explored

Matt Painter is one of the longest-serving coaches in college basketball. The former Boilermakers guard returned to Purdue to take over the reins of the program in 2004 after coaching stints elsewhere.

In his two decades as Purdue coach, Painter has taken the program to new heights. Who were Painter’s predecessors at Purdue, though?

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Who was Purdue’s basketball coach before Matt Painter?

Gene Keady was Purdue’s basketball coach before the hiring of Matt Painter as his replacement.

Keady was the coach of the Boilermakers for 25 years, from 1980 to 2005. Before moving to Purdue to take over the role, he was the coach of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Keady took over at Purdue after the departure of former coach Lee Rose.

Keady’s first task was to steady the player-coach relationship within the program after the rocky state of things that characterized Rose’s tenure. After that, he settled into the program and established a culture of consistent excellence within the program. In 25 years in charge, he led the Boilermakers to the NCAA tournament 18 times, including two appearances in the Elite Eight.

Under Keady, the Boilermakers captured six Big Ten regular season titles, including three straight titles between 1994 and 1996. He won the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award a record seven times while at Purdue.

As he neared his retirement, he facilitated the hiring of Painter as his replacement. The latter understudied him for a year as associate head coach before fully taking over in 2005.

Keady and Painter have a special relationship going back to Painter’s days as a Boilermaker player. Painter was a guard on Keady’s team for four years, from 1989 to 1993, and was named captain by Keady in his senior year. Painter is a former player who was familiar with Purdue’s excellent tradition.

Moreover, his successful stint at Southern Illinois made Painter a prime candidate to succeed Keady. After initial difficulties in settling in, Painter recruited a top recruiting class in 2006, which laid the foundation for many years of successful campaigns in charge of the Boilermakers.

Painter has continued Keady’s legacy of making Purdue a Big 10 powerhouse and one of the most consistent teams in the NCAA tournament. The national championship glory is perhaps the only thing missing from the Boilermakers’ list of achievements. How long until their dream of being national champions becomes realized?