A day after Saturday’s 49-35 loss to Iowa, Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski announced the firing of Darrell Hazell.
In 42 games as head coach of the Boilermakers’ football program, Hazell had an overall record of 9-33 while going 3-24 in Big Ten games.
Wide receivers coach Gerad Parker will serve as interim head coach for the rest of the season.
“From the first time I met Darrell [Hazell], I could tell he was a man of high character – a quality person who you would want leading a group of young men – but our inconsistent performance and inability to generate positive momentum thus far this season, along with the disappointing results of the past three seasons, made it clear to me that we needed to make a change,” Bobinski said in a press release. “This is not a decision taken lightly, and I respect and appreciate the dedicated effort Darrell has put forth on behalf of Purdue.”
Prior to his tenure in West Lafayette, Hazell compiled a 16-9 overall mark in two seasons with Kent State, which included the program’s first MAC East Division title and a berth in the conference’s championship game.
The Boilermakers opened the 2016 campaign with a 45-24 win over Eastern Kentucky and lost 38-20 to Cincinnati the following week. Purdue went on to defeat Neveda 24-14 and began Big Ten play with a 50-7 loss at Maryland and a 34-31 win at Illinois.
Hazell provided perspective on the current season following yesterday’s defeat to the Hawkeyes.
“Well, I am doing everything right to help these guys become better. There’s no question that we are moving forward. Obviously, it doesn’t feel good right after this game but we’ve done a lot of good things, and we just need to keep pushing.”
