Purdue Athletic Director Tommy McClelland's Rivalry Remark Sparks Backlash
Tommy McClelland, newly appointed athletic director at Purdue University, said during his introductory press conference, "If you don’t want to win championships, go to Indiana," a comment that quickly drew criticism on social media. He later described the remark as off‑hand, unscripted and a distraction from Purdue’s goals.
The comment came less than a year after Indiana University’s football team captured its first national championship in 2025 and amassed a dominant record over Purdue, outscoring the Boilermakers 122‑3 across the previous two seasons. Purdue’s football program finished 2‑10 in the 2025 season and has not won a Division I title since the women’s golf championship in 2010, holding only three national titles overall, while Indiana boasts 24 Division I titles across multiple sports.
Entities
Big Ten Conference · Curt Cignetti · Indiana University · Purdue University · Tommy McClelland
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Indiana football won its first national championship in 2025. bleacherreport.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Tommy McClelland is the new athletic director at Purdue University. www.nytimes.com · www.saturdaydownsouth.com · bleacherreport.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Purdue football finished the 2025 season with a 2‑10 record. bleacherreport.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Indiana athletics has won 24 Division I national titles across all sports. www.saturdaydownsouth.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Indiana football outscored Purdue 122‑3 over the past two seasons. bleacherreport.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] McClelland said, “If you don’t want to win championships, go to Indiana.” www.nytimes.com · www.saturdaydownsouth.com · bleacherreport.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Purdue has three Division I national titles across all sports. www.saturdaydownsouth.com