Purdue fired head coach Darrell Hazell on Sunday, one day after the Boilermakers’ 49-35 homecoming loss to Iowa.
Hazell managed only a 9-33 record over three-plus seasons, including 3-3 this year and 1-2 in the Big Ten. In the conference, Purdue was 3-24 under Hazell.
Most of the fans left at halftime Saturday when the Boilermakers trailed 35-7, according to the Lafayette Journal & Courier. On Oct. 1, Purdue lost 50-7 at Maryland in the Big Ten Conference opener.
Receivers coach Gerad Parker will be named interim head coach, according to multiple reports. Parker is in his fourth season at Purdue after he was hired as tight ends coach before moving to receivers last season.
Hazell was hired as the 35th coach in Purdue history on Dec. 5, 2012, after a two-year stint as head coach at Kent State. He received a six-year, $12.75 million contract.
Hazell replaced Danny Hope, who was fired after four years that included a 22-27 record and bowl trips in each of his last two seasons.
Hazell is now 0-4 on homecoming games, losing to Northern Illinois, Illinois and Iowa twice by a combined 176-83. Purdue has lost by an average margin of 21.3 points under Hazell.
“I’m doing everything right to help these guys become better. There’s no question that we’re moving forward,” Hazell said after Saturday’s blowout loss. “Obviously it doesn’t feel good right after this game. But we’re doing a lot of good things. We just have to keep pushing. That’s all.
“I love these guys I like the way they come to work all the time. I know how important it is to the staff and the players. These are some of the situations you’ve got to go through when you’re building the thing up. We’ve been on a little bit of a roller-coaster ride this year, win, loss, win, loss, but all you do is keep coming back and keep fighting. That’s what it’s about.”