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Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 27, Digital 3

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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 3 39 BY ALAN KARPICK AKarpick@GoldandBlack.com O ne can call it college athletics' unique three-person triangle. But from Purdue's angle, it has helped form an all-important circle. Oregon has Phil Knight, Oklahoma State has T. Boone Pickens and Purdue has Drew Brees. New ath- letic director Mike Bobinski says he likes the compar- ison. "For Drew to be our icon, it doesn't get better than that. I will take that all day," Bobinski said. "I think it's a fair comparison with those two when you look at what Drew means to this university. Very fair."" In the world of mega support of college athletic pro- grams, Knight, Pickens and Brees belong in the same sentence in some, but not all, ways. Financially, Brees is no shrinking violet, but when it comes to compar- isons with Knight and Pickens, he's not quite in the same league. Not yet, at least. But in terms of overall support and down-to-earth passion, the former Boilermakers quarterback is top shelf. A generation or more removed, it is not surprising Brees' role is a bit different. Both Knight and Pick- ens were college athletes but didn't come close to ap- proaching Brees' on-the-field success. As every Purdue fan knows, Brees is a badge of honor when it comes to the faithful. He is a source of immense pride among anyone who follows Purdue athletics. For his universal good works, he holds that lofty status Purdue graduates, faculty and staff that have never set foot in Ross-Ade Stadium or Mackey P R E S E N T S : N AT I O N A L L E A D E R S H I P C I R C L E I N S I D E T H E C I R C L E Brees heads recently formed National Leadership Circle

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