BICKNELL — The state of Purdue Boilermaker athletics is “healthy” according to Leroy Keyes.

And if anyone should know, it’s Keyes, the greatest football player in Purdue history and, for the past six years, an assistant director of the John Purdue Club, the booster organization which supports Boilermaker athletics.

Keyes was in Bicknell on Monday for a golf outing and speaking engagement hosted by the Knox County Ag Alumni to benefit the Bill “Doc” Treese Purdue Ag scholarship fund.

Of course, football is dear to Keyes’ heart. A double threat as a runner and a pass receiver out of the Purdue backfield, the running back is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and was the MVP for the Boilermakers in 1967 and 1968 in addition to being named the Big Ten MVP in 1967. Keyes finished third in Heisman Trophy voting in 1967 and second to O.J. Simpson in 1968.

Keyes also spent six years as a Boilermaker football assistant coach before moving to the John Purdue Club in 2000.

And while Keyes understands that the Boilers 5-6 record in 2005 — the first season Purdue has missed a postseason bowl appearance in coach Joe Tiller’s nine seasons in West Lafayette — was disappointing, he says Boiler fans need to be patient and remain supportive.

“We need as fans to be patient. Sometimes we tend to get a little bit impatient and want it now, but sometimes now is not the time. Joe (Tiller) has gotten the football program turned around, but we have one bad season and it looks like everybody is starting to pull in the reins like we’re going back to the old days again,” said Keyes. “We can’t let one season wither our fan base. That’s one thing we need, we need the folks from Vincennes to make that trip up to Purdue. We can’t say ‘We went for the Notre Dame game or we went for the big game.’ Hey, the team needs them for every game.”

Keyes says the 2006 Boilers, with plenty of firepower returning an offensive unit which will be led by sophomore quarterback Curtis Painter, a Vincennes Lincoln product, could have a “Breathtaking” season. An early highlight for Purdue football will be the season opener against Indiana State at Ross-Ade Stadium on Sept. 2. That weekend will be a reunion of the 1966 squad which, led by Keyes and quarterback Bob Griese, became the first Purdue team to reach the Rose Bowl. The Boilers will wear throwback uniforms to honor the 1966 squad including white jerseys, just as Purdue wore in its 14-13 Rose Bowl win over Southern California at seasons’ end.

While Keyes is looking forward to the event, he has just one problem with that weekend.

“I’m looking forward to it. The only sad thing is I’ve got to work that day,” laughs Keyes. “I can’t just sit back and relax in the stands and shoot the breeze with my teammates. I’m the one that has to tell’em how to get on the field, then bring’em down on the field.

“It was a true joy to think that, with Purdue having played football since 1887, that we were the first team to go to the Rose Bowl, and now 40 years later, someone is saying ‘We want to reward you guys and this is how we think about your team,’” added Keyes.

That team will be honored in a completely renovated Ross-Ade Stadium, one of many such venues to receive attention under the tenure of athletic director Morgan Burke, a former Purdue swimmer in the 1970s. In the ultra competitive world of college recruiting, where schools in major conferences often have game and training facilities on par with professional teams, Keyes says Purdue has made strides.

“When we look at the buildings now on campus, facility wise, we know that we’re competing against some juggernauts in this conference,” said Keyes.

“Right now, tennis and soccer have gotten new complexes, they went inside the (football) stadium said ‘Hey, that turf we had last year was just horrendous.’ They went out and put in a brand new surface, they did a same thing with the practice field for football. We went into basketball and gave them a state of the art scoreboard.

“I think right now we’re on even keel to not look at excuses anymore. We can’t say ‘We don’t have the facilities, or we don’t have this.’” added Keyes. “Right now we’re saying we’re competing against Michigan and Ohio State at their level. Now we just have to go out and find the kids who say ‘I want to play and perform for Purdue University.’”

Keyes is particularly pleased with the academic performance of Boilermaker athletes, noting that the average GPA for Purdue athletes was above the overall campus average. He says that while facilities may be a selling point for the student athlete, the classroom and promise of a Purdue degree helps sell parents on the university.

“Our student athletes are doing well in the classroom, which bodes well for us when we talk to parents about recruiting kids to come to Purdue,” said Keyes. “Yes, they will get an opportunity to play, but they will also get an opportunity to get that degree.”

With football set to rebound and men’s basketball coach Matt Painter enjoying a high rate of recruiting success early in his tenure, Keyes says the future is bright.

“I just think everything is on an upward spiral.”