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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED OLUME 26, ISSUE 5 24 else. We should be who we are and be very clear on who we are and be that every single day. And that's what you hear (on nights like this), it feels good to hear that and all the exciting development that's going on and putting the program back in its rightful place, and that comes with the amenities and facilities and all of those kind of things that the program should have." Construction will happen more quickly than anyone could have imagined less than a year ago. Real shovels were in the ground within days of the ceremonial golden ones. It was only this past October that Burke thought he was walking into a potential hornet nest in President Mitch Daniels' office when he was set to present for the project, feeling like there might be some pushback. Burke had Brees' and others' support, but also many unanswered questions, like funding sources, guaran- teed bid pricing and more. So Burke, a lawyer, worked to prepare his final arguments, laying out what he felt would be a concise presentation. He didn't even need it. Once Burke got into Daniels' office, the president said the project would be a go. "And (Daniels) said, 'And we're not going to wait to announce it. We're going to announce it now so people understand we've got a vision for the future,' " Burke said. "It was a pretty powerful statement and the Board "(Brees) is rare. He's special. What you see off the field is what you get. As a person, he really is genuine. He's really concerned with the interest of everybody. He's gotten everybody's respect because of the way he's played on the field, but he really treats people right. He's just so great to be around." — Saints' offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Tom Campbell Former 49ers linebacker Keena Turner was one of the featured speakers at Purdue's groundbreaking April 15, with fellow Super Bowl winners Brees, Rosevelt Colvin and Bob Griese (left to right).