Ingraham declared ineligible

Kyle Ingraham's rollercoaster ride of a football career has taken another dramatic turn.

The senior wide receiver was declared academically ineligible Thursday afternoon, five days after a potential problem with his standing at Purdue came to light.

Ingraham, a former academic all-state honoree in high school and winner of the Big Ten's Sportsmanship Award in 2004, sat out the Boilers' win over Indiana State Saturday after questions arose a few days earlier over what was thought to be transcript issues between St. Mary's University, the school Ingraham attended in the spring, and Purdue.

Whatever those exact issues were, however, did not get properly cleared up. Ingraham is believed to have taken 12 credit hours at St. Mary's, needing those — with passing grades — to transfer to Purdue, thus keeping him in compliance with the Big Ten progress-toward-a-degree requirements.

Ingraham, who is still enrolled at Purdue, says he plans to return for the 2007 season after redshirting this year.

"I attended St. Mary's University last spring knowing I had to take care of business and, despite my best intentions, I did not do it," Ingraham said in a statement. "I take full responsibility. I apologize to my family and my teammates and to all the fans of Purdue football.

"Now my goal is to make sure I do everything I can to help our team be successful this year. I hope to play for Purdue again next fall and, obviously, I want to earn my degree."

Ingraham, a native of San Antonio, Tex., left Purdue after the 2005 season, deciding to attend St. Mary's in his hometown. At the time, there were questions about Ingraham's academic standing at Purdue, as well as his health. Since the 2004 Sun Bowl, the 6-foot-9, 228-pound receiver has suffered through ankle problems that have required multiple surgeries. He had shoulder surgery in March, as well.

But during a brief return to Purdue in April to watch Purdue's spring game, Ingraham said his absence was due to a variety of factors.

"I was dealing with some issues," he said then, citing academics as just part of a composite of concerns. "It was a matter of me getting home, getting healthy, getting my head cleared and getting everything squared away."

Until Saturday, it appeared that's exactly what had happened. Now, though, with another twist in this bizarre story, he'll have to wait another year to get back into a Boilermaker uniform.

Ingraham was the Boilermakers' second-leading receiver last season with 41 catches for 500 yards. He has 105 career receptions for 1,264 yards with nine touchdowns.

"Needless to say, we are sorry and disappointed to lose Kyle," Coach Joe Tiller said in statement. "They key for us as a football team is to not let this be a distraction. We need to move forward."

Ingraham is the third Boilermaker to be declared ineligible for this season, joining cornerback Brandon King and tight end Alec Huber.

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