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VOLUME 27, ISSUE 2 99 ered Purdue a 22-21 win at the Big House. On that play Burke caught the blocked punt out of the air and fell into the end zone for the deciding score. He blocked a field goal in the Rose Bowl too, so important in a tight game. "When I got to the Rose Bowl, my memories turned to my dad, and how he had supported me," Burke, who is now involved in prison ministry, said. "But, I also re- member I went off-sides and (Coach) Jack (Mollenkopf) royally chewed me out on the sideline. My brothers and sister after the game just kept saying, 'Hey you were on national television getting chewed out.' "That is a memory that sticks out." Offensive lineman Jim Bonk, one of the former play- ers who was most responsible for keeping the team to- gether over the years, helping to organize frequent re- unions, said playing for Mollenkopf was tough, but fair. Mollenkopf was an offensive lineman in his playing days at Bowling Green and paid extra attention to the position. "Back in those days linemen didn't get a lot of recogni- tion and Coach (Mollenkopf) used to say, 'Well you kept the grass stain off of Griese's behind,'" said Bonk, who now lives in Virginia after a successful business career. "That was about the extent of the compliments that we would get from him, but it was enough. "That is one of the big life lessons you learn that car- ries over to life: You have a job to do, and your job is what you are supposed to focus on whether credit comes your way or not. There are so many guys on this team that went on to be very successful in life, and looking back we knew that then, I guess, but it really played out later." Marion Griffin, a sophomore tight end, has a similar takeaway to Bonk with a different twist. Griffin remem- bers his classmates, in his freshman and sophomore years, having a little too much fun. "When I first came in as a freshman there were times where we didn't take things too seriously and would goof off," said Griffin, who caught 11 passes from Griese in 1966. "And there were some things in practice that we didn't like. But we had coaches come up to us and say that, 'If you are going to play here then you are going to have to learn to like these things.' Even if it's something that you might not fully agree with, sometimes you have learn to like to do it. You may not like running laps after practice but it is important that you do it so that when we play the results will be positive. "It was a lesson I told my own kids all the time: 'You may not like it but learn to like it.' Especially if it is some- thing that you should be doing." The "Boys of '66" had a great weekend in West Lafay- ette in mid-October. And why not? They deserved it. After all they represented hope and history to a program that is enduring its darkest period ever in terms of wins and losses. "We know that wins will come back around, and we were proud to represent a time when Purdue football was elite," Bonk said. "We are living proof it can happen here. We can't wait to see it happen again." j The Triple XXX Family Restaurants and Route 66 Diner Salute Purdue's Great Icons, like Duane Purvis Indiana's Oldest Drive-In On the Hill, But on the Level Since 1929 Triplexxxfamilyrestaurant.com