Purdue Hall of Fame nod hits home for Frank Kendrick

Frank Kendrick's looming induction into Purdue's Athletics Hall of Fame stands as further proof that the former Boilermaker star's relationship with his alma mater is whole again.

When the former Purdue forward and coach returned to West Lafayette two Augusts ago to play in the program's alumni game in Mackey Arena, it served as a moment of profound healing after strained relations between the two sides had existed for so long.

The wounds from those days have healed.

"And it's probably bigger and better," Kendrick said of his relationship with Purdue, late last week after his election to the Hall of Fame was announced. "That was a tough period, very tough, for about 15 years, and outside of my family, I really love nothing more than Purdue University.

"I've always said, 'My heart pumps gold and black' and it always will. Some things you can't kill. That's one of those things and I want to thank everybody there for everything they've ever done for me and my family, on and off the court. Once a Boilermaker, always a Boilermaker. No one ever wore that uniform with more pride than I did."

Kendrick says the honor is "really hard to put into words."

In reality, though, there are probably very few things the charismatic 65-year-old can't put into words.

"It's really sinking in now. It's overwhelming. To really understand what the honor is all about, I just feel so blessed to have been able to achieve it, to reach that plateau very few people do," Kendrick said. "My family and I are extremely excited about the whole thing. And I'm very emotional about it. It's wonderful. I've been fortunate enough to get a lot of honors in my life, and this ranks right up there with the top two or three.

"Hey, I'm blessed. What can I say?'"

In his three seasons at Purdue from 1972-74 - freshmen were ineligible in those days - Kendrick averaged 16.3 points and eight-and-a-half rebounds per game from his forward position.

He was the Boilermakers' leading scorer in 1973, averaging 18.5 points, and their leading rebounder in '74, averaging 10.1.

Kendrick was named first-team All-Big Ten in 1974 and earned All-America honors, prior to becoming a third-round draft pick of the Golden State Warriors, with which he earned an NBA championship ring.

Looking back at those days, Kendrick credits various mentors for his success.

"Bob King was everything to me - he was a father, a mother, a teacher, all of it," Kendrick said of the man who recruited him out of Indianapolis Arenal Tech, then coached him in West Lafayette. "We called him 'The Wizard.' If there was ever a problem, if you were worried about an exam or something, you'd go talk to him and he'd get you ready, prop you up, and he always did it the highest integrity. That's one of the reasons he was so special. Along with my parents, he had the biggest influence on my life of anyone.

"And so did Ed Karpick. He was a tremendous mentor also, he and his family. I have so much respect and love for that family."

Kendrick served as an assistant coach for his alma mater from 1989-99, but left amidst the program's NCAA troubles at that time.

There were times in the years that followed that it would have seemed highly unlikely moments like Kendrick's alumni-game appearance in 2014 or his Hall of Fame induction to come in 2016 would have been possible.

Those times are no more.

"Like they say, good things come to those who wait," Kendrick said. "I waited and good things happened. Purdue has always had a spot in my heart. It always has."

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