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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 3 40 Arena, still appreciate. Brees is on the short list of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, and while ac- complishing that amaz- ing lofty standard is his full-time job, he has found the time to be a focal point, if not the focal point, that has impacted Purdue athletics since his gradua- tion in 2001. "Drew's person- al and emotional commitment to Purdue is palpable, you can feel it," said Bobinski who has been on the job since Sept. 1. "He doesn't have to do what he does, but he just does it." Brees evokes just about ev- ery positive leadership principle out there. He takes a chapter out of leadership guru Stephen Covey's book by "beginning with the end in mind." And that, in a nutshell, brings us to Brees' most recent contribution, the formation of The National Leadership Circle. The NLC is an exclusive group chaired by Brees and wife, Brittany, during Purdue's university-wide Ever True fundraising campaign aimed at raising $2.019 billion by 2019. But what is most relevant to Purdue athletics is this: The goal of the NLC is to financially support the Purdue Football Master Plan to help the program compete at the highest level in the Big Ten and beyond. "Brittany and I agreed to be co-chairs because we want to see Purdue football succeed for a variety of rea- sons," Brees said while taking a momentary breather from his 16th NFL season to attend a meeting of the NLC during the last home football weekend of the 2016 season. "A winning football program helps the university in so many ways. It brings alumni back to campus, raises the applicant pool and brings in more talent, not just on the gridiron but also academically. "The trust and faith in the future of our university by the National Leadership Circle members is most important." The impetus for this group began with discussions between Brees and former athletic director Morgan Burke and Burke's staff. Those talks spawned a sum- mit of sorts in the summer of 2015. The Purdue pow-wow, hosted by Brees near his off- season home in San Diego, included a group of for- mer football players, as well as trustees, donors and administrators, there to discuss the elephant in the Purdue Athletics Drew and Brittany Brees are looking out for the future of Purdue football by forming the National Leadership Circle in the spring. The couple's passion for Purdue football is important to helping turn around the fortunes the program.