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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 20 • 9 BY GOLD AND BLACK STAFF P urdue will need to replace an- other playmaker. Though receiver B.J. Knauf couldn't stay healthy long enough to produce consistently, he added a burst of speed, escapability and moxie to the receiving corps over his two playing seasons. That's gone now, as Knauf decided to end his ca- reer after injuries piled up. "I wore my body down," Knauf said last Friday, days after Darrell Hazell hinted that the junior's career could be done. "Even lifting weights in high school, when I was under- rated and being under-recruited, I took everything to the extreme. I pushed myself to limits that people shouldn't. I probably overworked my body." And once he got to Purdue, Knauf didn't have much luck either. A fractured vertebrae in his back, a high ankle sprain, a torn ab- ductor, concussions, a broken col- larbone, the hits kept coming. So Knauf has stopped them. After only 29 catches in two injury-riddled seasons. "It's not like I don't want to play," he said. "I love the game. I love playing, feeling the adrena- line rush, playing with my buddies. There's no other feeling that com- pares to that, but I have more to look forward to in my future. I nev- er really thought about going pro. It was never a big thing on my list. I really want to be healthy for things after football, kids and other activ- ites. I didn't want to be 28, 29 years old and be having problems with my back already, which I assume will happen anyway. But the rest of my body I'd rather feel decent in some areas than complete crap. "It was hard. I feel bad for a lot of people who looked up to me and expected me to play this next season. But it wasn't really worth it in my book, to continue to get hurt. If I could play at a healthy level, I would. But that seems to never hap - pen. It felt like a better decision to stop play- ing and focus on school and my future." The future will still include Purdue football in some way, Knauf said. He's waiting on paperwork from the NCAA that will grant him a medical hardship waiver to stay on scholarship, and he's planning to act as a undergrad assistant/ manager so he can help with the F O OT BA L L : N E W S A N D N OT E S Tom Campbell After only two seasons of competition, B.J. Knauf has opted to end his playing career for Purdue because of toll injuries have taken. www.MeetYouAtArnis.com LAFAYETTE • INDIANAPOLIS • GREENWOOD Visit one of our 18 Indiana locations Meet You At Arni's TM Celebrates Purdue's Student-Athletes SERVING BOILER FANS FOR 50 YEARS World Famous Pizza, Salads, Sandwiches Maddy Williams Sophomore, Major in Mechanical Engineering Williams, a forward from Perrysburg, Ohio was one of sixteen soccer players to be named Academic All-Big Ten on Dec. 10. Seventy-one Purdue student-athletes received Academic recognition eclipsing last fall's total of 64 and 2012's total of 46. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners, in at least their second year at their institution and carry a grade point average of at least 3.0. Football and women's cross country led the way for the Boilermakers with 20 honorees for football and 19 for women's cross country. Women's soccer followed with 16, men's cross country had 11 members recognized and the volleyball team had five. PRESENTS Knauf Ends Career