What if ... Purdue had not hired Fred Akers?

Like all coaching hires, Fred Akers' arrival for the 1987 season was met with excitement and anticipation. Anything seemed possible for a program looking to get on track after the failed Leon Burtnett era.

It would be the 100th season of Boilermaker football, and Purdue was gonna celebrate with a new coach from Texas who brought a glossy resume from Austin to West Lafayette.

Alas, Akers was a colossol bust.

He debuted with a 3-7-1 record ... and it was downhill from there in a dreadful four-year run most Purdue fans want expunged from their memory.

That leaves us to wonder … What if? What if Purdue had hired someone else? A lengthy list of potential candidates included some interesting names: Maryland's Bobby Ross, West Virginia's Don Nehlen, Colorado's Bill McCartney and Arizona's Larry Smith, to list just a few.

Share your thoughts. Who would you have hired instead of Akers?

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