Remembering Purdue legend Tim Foley
Purdue legend Tim Foley was everybody’s All-American. He was known for being hard-hitting, a consummate leader, and Hollywood handsome. And when he passed away on Sept. 24 at age 75 after dealing with several years of dementia, it wasn’t a surprise. It could have been a blessing.
In our Chariot Auto Group’s Monday Night Memories series, we have the chance to get the thoughts of some of his former Boilermaker teammates who knew him best. Included on the simulcast are
Quarterbacks Mike Phipps (he joins the Zoomcast at the end), Don Kiepert
End Bob Dillingham; Tight End Marion Griffin; DB Dennis Cirbes; OT Jim Bonk.
The six former Boilermakers share their stories about Foley, and what it was like to be around Foley in his later years when he had to deal with extreme memory issues. They also talked about what an outstanding teammate and leader he was and how devoted he was to his faith.
Foley came to Purdue as a quarterback from Chicago’s Loyola Academy H.S. and found himself as one of the best defensive backs to ever play at Purdue during its most successful period in the Modern Era in the last 1960s. The Boilermakers posted consecutive 8-2 records during Foley’s tenure and were ranked in the top five during the 1967 and ’68 seasons.
A three-year starter from 1967-69 under coach Jack Mollenkopf, he was an All-American in 1969, Mollenkopf’s final season at the helm. A daring punt returner for the Boilermakers, Foley shined in the classroom, earning academic All-American honors in his junior and senior seasons and a spot in the CoSIDA Hall of Fame (for academics) and the Purdue Hall of Fame in 1998.
He enjoyed an 11-year NFL career with the Miami Dolphins, a third-round pick in Don Shula’s first draft class of 1970. He was part of the famous and infamous “no-name” defense under Shula that helped the Dolphins to 1973 and ’74 Super Bowl titles, the first of which Miami posted the most recent undefeated season in NFL annals (17-0). He earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in 1979 and retired a year later after intercepting 22 passes in his career, which spanned 122 games.
After his NFL career, Foley achieved great heights professionally, becoming one of the most successful Amway Corporation entrepreneurs. He became a devoted humanitarian, earning the Amway Humanitarian Award in 2016. Foley also spent a decade broadcasting college football for TBS and was on the call for the first night game in Ross-Ade Stadium history when Ohio State beat Purdue in 1986.
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