Purdue Names Colletto as Its Football Coach

Former UCLA player Jim Colletto signed a five-year contract to coach Purdue and said he planned to junk the run-and-shoot offense that produced a 2-9 record this season and led to the resignation of Fred Akers.

“I think the things we have to do are the same things I’ve done for a lot of years in coaching--get back to some of the things I believe in, in terms of running the football,” said Colletto, who was the offensive coordinator at Purdue in 1982-84 and most recently the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.

Colletto, an all-conference selection who captained the 1965 UCLA team that defeated Michigan State in the Rose Bowl, was head coach at Cal State Fullerton for five years starting in 1975, compiling a 17-38-1 record.