2017 Honors Dinner

• Scholar-Athletes

  The 14 scholar-athlete nominees included eight with a 4.0 GPA or better, eight in the top five percent of their senior classes, and four on course to be valedictorians at their schools. Their collective grade point average was 3.94.
  

• Jeff Brohm

  Purdue football coach Jeff Brohm previews his 2017 squad. The thumbs up proved to be fitting as the team went 7-6, giving Purdue its first winning season since 2011.
  

• Vince Burpo - IFHOF

  Vince Burpo was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame Burpo compiled a 112-83 record over 18 years as a head coach with six conference championships, five sectional championships and two regional championships.
  

• Riley Lowder - Courage Award

  Riley Lowder of Delphi High School won the Patrick Mackey Courage Award for his important role on the Delphi football team while battling autism.
  

• Jack DeGroot - S-A of the Year

  Jack DeGroot of Winamac High School was named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year. DeGroot was named class valedictorian and graduated with 12 varsity letters. He plans to pursue medical school at Butler University.
  

• IFHOF Class of 2017

  Brad Smith, board member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame and Tiller Chapter, reads the Hall of Fame Oath to the 2017 class: (left to right) Rod Woodson, Kerry (Bernie) Flowers, Jim Davis and Vince Burpo.
  

• Rod Woodson - IFHOF

  Rod Woodson earned his spot in the Indiana Football Hall of Fame with a remarkable run as a defensive back at Fort Wayne Snider, Purdue and the NFL.
  

• Jim Davis - IFHOF

  Jim Davis was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame after an unprecedented 38-year run as the North White High School football coach. He compiled a 212-198 record and won six Midwest Conference Coach of the Year Awards.
  

• Bernie Flowers - IFHOF

  Kerry Flowers speaks of his late father, Bernie, who was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame posthumously. Flowers was an All-American split end for the Boilermakers in the 1950s.
  

• Morgan Burke - Gold Medallion Award

  Morgan Burke, who retired in June 2017 after 24 years as Purdue’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Vice President, received the chapter’s Gold Medallion Award.
  

• Roy Johnson - Legends Award

  Roy Johnson performed his legendary rendition of "I Am An American" for the crowd. Roy Johnson was recognized with the Legends Award after his 43 years as the “Voice of the Band” at Purdue.
  

• Darren Hicks was awarded with the Bernie Flowers Contribution to Amateur Football Award for his 25 years of service as a coach and director in the Lafayette Central Catholic Little Gridiron Program.