6/12/2020 football Edit

Catching up with ... Bill Kay

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Tom Dienhart • BoilerUpload

GoldandBlack.com, Associate Editor

Bill Kay's seven picks in 1979 remain a school single-season record. He made three in a win vs. Michigan that season.

Bill Kay still has good memories of his days as a key cog on some of the best Purdue teams in the last 50 years.

Kay arrived in West Lafayette from Proviso East High in the Chicago area in the fall of 1977 as part of Jim Young’s first recruiting class. And Kay quickly found his way onto the field and became a pivotal member in the secondary on the Boilermakers’ famed “Junk Defenses” of the late-1970s that backstopped the program to three bowl wins in a row (1978-80). Kay’s teams went 33-13-1 overall and 23-8-1 in the Big Ten from 1977-80.

The 6-1, 190-pound Kay earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 1980 as a senior, a year capped by a Liberty Bowl triumph vs Missouri. Kay still ranks No. 9 all-time in Purdue history in interceptions (10). And his seven picks in 1979 remain a school single-season record. Kay’s 18 passes broken up in 1980 are still the third most in a season in school annals. And he is No. 4 all-time in PBUs with 32.

Kay was selected in the sixth round of the 1981 NFL draft by the Oilers, playing three seasons in Houston. He played his final season—1984—with the Cardinals and Chargers.

GoldandBlack.com caught up with the 60-year-old Kay.

GoldandBlack.com: How did you end up at Purdue coming out of Proviso East High in the Chicago area?

Kay: My head football coach at Proviso was a guy named Joe Krupa, who was a Purdue alum. The assistant head coach was a guy named Mike Williams who was also a Purdue alum. They didn't influence my decision, but they were very instrumental when it came down to making those decisions. I had originally committed to go to Ohio State. …. But I realized that it probably was going to be a better choice and a better fit for me to go to Purdue. And so I changed my decision, went to Purdue and don't regret it for a second.

GoldandBlack.com: How did you develop at Purdue?

Kay: I came to Purdue to play safety. I was playing quite a bit as a freshman behind Rock Supan, playing strong safety, a little bit of free safety which is what I played in high school. So, my freshman, sophomore years, I played in every game, usually just as a back up or on special teams. During spring of my sophomore year, someone got hurt and they asked me if I would play corner. Of course I said ‘yes.’ I'll do anything, just put me on the field. I played corner my junior year, and I started every game my junior and senior years.

GoldandBlack.com: What are you best memories?

Kay: The one that I talk about most and I get the most questions about is when we beat Michigan at home (in 1979). I had three interceptions and a fumble recovery in that game. And we beat them (24-21), which is something we had been really striving for through all the time I had been there. That game is probably the most memorable for me.

GoldandBlack.com: You are still in the record book for most interceptions in a season (7 in 1979) and passes broken up (18 in 1980). And you still are in the top 10 in career interceptions (10) and passes broken up (32).

Kay: Isn’t that crazy? Forty years later, in an era when people really weren't passing. I mean, we were the ones that started the passing. I looked at that not too long ago I was like: ‘Man, how am I still here?’

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Bill Kay enjoyed a four-year run in the NFL after being a sixth-round selection of the Oilers in 1981.

GoldandBlack.com: What are your recollections of leading Purdue to three bowl victories in succession from 1978-80--Peach (Georgia Tech), Astro Bluebonnet (Tennessee) and Liberty (Missouri)?

Kay: When we went to our first bowl game, which was the Peach Bowl (vs. Georgia Tech in 1978), it was like, ‘Oh, my goodness. This is unbelievable.’ So, it opens up a whole other side of college football. You are out of your conference, you are at a place you've never been, and the people treat you so nice. So, you get a little taste of it, and you wanna do it again. OK, let's do this again, let's go to a bigger bowl and see what's really going on. By my senior year when we went to the Liberty Bowl, it was just so much fun.

GoldandBlack.com: What made the "Junk Defense" special?

Kay: When they first started nicknaming us the 'Junk Defense,’ nobody really understood the concept of organized chaos. Putting people where they wouldn't normally be to disrupt angles and disguising in ways that people hadn't seen before. It was a little unorthodox from an opponent side. But for us as a team, it just seemed like our normal defense. From a scheme standpoint, it just seemed normal. But the players that we had, and the impact that they made on us as leaders, guys like Keena Turner and Marcus Jackson, Tom Kingsbury, Calvin Clark, guys that I still keep in touch with today … Wayne Smith. All those guys, we just gelled. We were a very solid defense. We could anticipate what other people would do. And the skill level of some of those people made it easier to be a defensive back because they're putting heavy pressure on opponents all the time. So, a lot of times, they didn’t get a chance to throw the ball. I just love everybody that we had on that defense. I was truly blessed to be a part of that phenomenon that we had there for a couple years.

GoldandBlack.com: What was your NFL career like?

Kay: Getting drafted into the NFL, it was certainly a lifetime dream. But when I got there, I had just turned 21 in January, so I was very young going into the NFL. And I don't think I was prepared mentally for the full-time aspect of that type of a setup. It was stressful for a young guy. I did not adapt to it well. I was just a journeyman in the NFL. I had fun playing, made some great friends, played with lifetime idols like Kenny Stabler, Archie Manning, Earl Campbell, Dan Fouts.

GoldandBlack.com: What have you done since your football career ended?

Kay: I am in Evans, Georgia (near Augusta), married. I have seven children, three grandchildren. When I first got out of the NFL, I worked in sales and worked my way up into sales management and worked for a company called Boral for over 20 years. During that time, I became more of an IT person. And now I'm a project manager installing major software at manufacturing facilities.

GoldandBlack.com: How often do you get back to West Lafayette?

Kay: I try to get back at least once a year. It just depends on the work schedules. There’s usually a game that all the guys from my class will try to get together and have some event.

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