LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue's new football coach will bring a level of intensity rivaled only by those who once played in the Xtreme Football League... Actually, wait, yeah, he played in that league!
Jeff Brohm, former NFL quarterback turned XFL one-hit wonder turned college football coach, was named the new head coach of Purdue football Monday.
Brohm, a former Mr. Football in Kentucky, played his college ball at Louisville and made enough noise in his younger years to earn a spot on several NFL teams (six teams in eight years, but only actually took live snaps for the San Francisco 49ers in 1996-97 during the injured-Steve Young years).
After a lack of consistent success in the NFL, Brohm turned to the latest entertainment incarnation from the minds of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the XFL, where he ultimately won a "championship" with the Los Angeles Xtreme. The league only lasted one year due to funding and ratings issues.
Brohm is a good choice for Purdue not just because of his record as the coach of Western Kentucky football the past three years (30-10), but he'll add a fire to the Boilermakers locker room that is tough to find.
What kind of fire, you ask? Check out the below video from his time in the XFL, when Brohm took a hit so hard, he was knocked unconscious, only to return to play six days later.
Granted, there was no concussion protocol in the XFL, but Brohm's pre-game interview after the hit made him famous among football's motivators.
When asked about his return to the field on such a short time frame after the hit that earned him a hospital trip, he answered with two questions:
"One, is this or is this not the XFL? Yes, it is. Two, do I or do I not currently have a pulse? Yes, I do. Let's play football," Brohm said.
One more granted: This was the XFL, the league commissioned by WWE president Vince McMahon, which put a premium on showmanship, so while we won't expect Brohm to bring such bodily disregard to his student-athletes, the intensity is ripe for a locker room that is in need of an injection of energy after not winning a conference championship in 16 years.
