Monday Night Memories: New Purdue Hall of Famers Ford and Stratton
Legendary Boilermakers Bob Ford and Tim Stratton discuss their recent selection into the Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame. Ford discusses his men’s basketball playing and broadcast days, while Stratton recalls his Mackey Award-winning season as a star tight end in 2000. GoldandBlack.com’s Monday Night Memories Series is brought to you by Chariot Auto Group.
Bob Ford (Men’s Basketball, 1970-72)
• Three-year letterwinner, 1970, 1971 and 1972, for Purdue Men’s Basketball
• Earned First Team All-Big Ten Conference honors as a senior in 1972
• Became the third Academic All-American in school history, earning First Team honors in 1972
• Ranks 10th in program history for both scoring average (17.0) and rebounding average (8.9)
• Inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1997
• Twice earned NABC All-District recognition (1971, 1972)
• Was the 11th Boilermaker to surpass 1,000 career points scored with 1,244 points from 1970-72, an era in which freshmen did not play in varsity action
• Became one of the nation’s most efficient scorers as an upperclassman, averaging 19.8 points per game as a junior and 19.6 as a senior
• Member of the World University Team in 1970 and of the Pan-American Team in 1971
• Served as host/emcee of the Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony for several years at the beginning of the event’s history (est. 1994); in addiition to being a color TV announcer for Purdue hoops for the Farm Bureau and Raycom Networks.
Tim Stratton (Football, 1998-2001)
• Four-year letterwinner, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001, as a tight end for Football
• Inaugural recipient of the John Mackey Award in 2000, presented to the nation’s best tight end
• Named a semifinalist for the Mackey Award in 2001
• Three-time First Team All-Big Ten Conference selection (1999, 2000, 2001), just the fourth in program history
• Recorded 204 career receptions, breaking the former school record of 181 set by running back Rodney Carter
• Became just the third player in Big Ten history to eclipse 200 career catches
• Played in all 49 games during his Boilermaker career, recording a reception in all but two contests
