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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 5 67 "For most of the time when Knight and Keady coached against one another, the fans of the schools pretty much loathed one another," Hammel said. "You could feel it when you were in Assembly Hall and Mackey Arena. It got to the point that fans just assumed the coaches hated each other. But that was far from the truth. "But I think now it is like paying tribute to two guys that brought so much to the game. The fans really appre- ciate that." Keady said Knight spends much of his time in Mon- tana nowadays, and, during their phone conversations, they pull no punches but enjoy the long-distance cama- raderie. "If we don't agree, we tell each other and we're pretty harsh with each other, so it's not anything that is rare or new, it's just the way it is," Keady said. "We are pretty blunt with each other, but it is (really) not argumenta- tive. It's just fun." One can't help but wonder what Knight, who doesn't do a lot of interviews anymore and couldn't be reached for this story, would think of Keady having a sandwich named after him. It seems like a topic that fans will hear about during the next road show in Fort Wayne. Knight, who hasn't lost his sarcastic, if not biting, wit, will undoubtedly have fun with this one. It doesn't take much imagination to believe Knight will get the last word on Keady's Jamai- caMeCrazy sirloin burger sold exclusively at Route 66, a place Keady frequents when in West Lafayette. That sandwich is a recipe from Keady's wife Kath- leen Petrie, dating back to her days working in the restaurant business in the Boston area. She made it for Keady, and he really liked it. Tongue in cheek, she even told the Lafayette Journal & Courier there is a little Jamaican jerk season- ing in the sandwich because "he can be a jerk sometimes, but I love him to death." The sandwich is not for the faint of heart with a third pound of ground sir- loin topped with bleu cheese and that special seasoning. "The coach is so cute when it comes to all this," Route 66 co-owner Carrie Ehresman said. "He was just being unassuming and modest when he asked about having a sandwich named after him. He thought we only honored athletes and not coaches with (the naming of) food items. "It's not like he demanded it, he just wanted to know if we would consider it. I thought to myself, 'Are you crazy (would we give it consideration)? We would love to include Coach Keady.'" As we wrote about in March/April issue, the finish- ing touches are being put on "Citizen Paincakes," a breakfast menu item devised to honor Brian Cardi- nal. And that is where it all comes full circle. Cardinal had to have been one of Keady's favorite players, even if the coach won't admit to having fa- vorites in a career that spanned nearly 50 years. Keady is Cardinal's role model and mentor. And it even ties into Knight. Purdue fans will remember during the heat of the battle with Purdue, Knight was rarely quick to pub- licly compliment Boilermaker players, Keady or, es- pecially, the fans. But Cardinal was the exception, as Knight's last game against Purdue was against a Boilermaker team in Cardinal's senior season. And Knight was effusive in his praise for Cardinal. Time heals most wounds. Keady and Knight's friend- ship is evidence of that. And in the twilight of Keady's life, it is good to be remembered, if not beloved. "It's really good," Keady said. "I never take that for granted. Never." j Route 66 Diner and Triple XXX Family Restaurants salute Coach Gene Keady who is the first Boilermaker coach to have a food item named after him. Introducing Coach Keady's JamaicaMeCrazy Burger! Indiana's Oldest Drive-In On the Hill, But on the Level Since 1929 Triplexxxfamilyrestaurant.com