14 Facts About Joe Tiller

1.

Joseph Henry Tiller was an American football player and coach.

2.

Joe Tiller was selected in the 1964 AFL draft by the Boston Patriots; he was the 140th pick overall but chose to sign with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.

3.

Joe Tiller's first coaching job came in 1964, when he was a student assistant for Montana State.

4.

Sweeney left after the 1967 season and Joe Tiller was retained by new head coach Tom Parac.

5.

In 1971, Joe Tiller rejoined Sweeney as the defensive line coach at Washington State in Pullman.

6.

In 1983, Joe Tiller became defensive coordinator at Purdue under head coach Leon Burtnett.

7.

Joe Tiller began his head coaching career at Wyoming in 1991, when he was hired to replace Paul Roach, who was stepping down as football coach but remained as the athletic director.

8.

Joe Tiller received a 5-year contract with a base salary of $65,000.

9.

Joe Tiller continued to provide stellar quarterback and running back play despite some subpar records during his tenure at Wyoming.

10.

Joe Tiller inherited a program that had only had five winning seasons in the previous 18 years.

11.

In 2008 against Central Michigan, Joe Tiller won his 85th game at Purdue to become the winningest coach in school history, topping the previous mark set by Jack Mollenkopf.

12.

Joe Tiller retired following the 2008 season and was succeeded by former Eastern Kentucky University head coach Danny Hope.

13.

Joe Tiller was the first coach to use the spread offense in the Big Ten Conference, although many others have since brought their own version of the spread, including Jim Tressel at Ohio State, Randy Walker at Northwestern, Rich Rodriguez at Michigan, and Ron Zook at Illinois.

14.

Joe Tiller died at his home in Buffalo, Wyoming, on September 30,2017, at the age of 74, after battling recent health issues.