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Purdue's Rose Bowl Season Reflections--O- Lineman Kelly Kitchel

Karpick_headshot500x500by: Alan Karpick3 hours agoAlanKarpick
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In our Sept. 15, 2025 edition of Rose Bowl Reflections with our special guest, former Boilermaker offensive lineman Kelly Kitchel. Kitchel talks about the 25th-year reunion of the Big Ten champs and Rose Bowl participants and how he remains tied to the Joe Tiller legacy with his former teammates and Arnette Tiller.

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Kitchel loves being “social director” of Purdue’s Rose Bowl reunions

Kelly Kitchel had the busiest and best weekends a Purdue Rose Bowl team alum could have. An offensive lineman for coach Joe Tiller from 1998-2001, “Kitch” mainly served on special teams during the 2000 championship season, but when his teammates gathered for festivities surrounding the Purdue-USC game, it was one big happy family.

He had dozens of former teammates stay at the Kitchel abode and even treated early arrivals to his daughter’s volleyball game on Thursday. On Friday, “Kitch” was serving as an assistant coach for West Lafayette High School in a victory over Rensselaer while his teammates were treated to a dinner compliments of the John Purdue Club.

After the dinner and while Kitchel was on the sidelines coaching the Red Devils to victory a time zone away, about three dozen teammates gathered at Kitchel house to start the get-together without him. The night ended in the early morning, about 3 a.m. as Kitchel recalls.

“It was so great seeing everybody, and we just sat around and told stories,” Kitch said. “It didn’t take long for us to be reminded about the cohesive unit we were back then, because we are still that way now.”

Kitchel articulated one illustration of the close-knit group was the return of Doyal Butler. A Tucson, Arizona native, Butler was a highly regarded tight end prospect who played for a couple of seasons before transferring to USC leaving before the Rose Bowl season. Butler was at the game and was embraced by his former Boilermaker teammates.

“Doyal was great, and he remarked that Purdue’s football family surpassed what he experienced at USC, and that was a reminder that we have a special bond that will last a lifetime.,” Kitchel said. “That is what it is supposed to be all about.”

More: Rose Bowl Reflections: Chukky Okobi | Vinny Sutherland | A.T. Simpson | Scott Downing | Ben Smith | Craig Terrill | Akin Ayodele | Tim Stratton | Jim Chaney | Chris Clopton

Gold and Black Illustrated Archives–2000 season game stories

Game 1: No. 15 Purdue 48, Central Michigan 0
Game 2: No. 14 Purdue 45, Kent State 10
Game 3: No. 21 Notre Dame 23, No. 14 Purdue 21
Game 4: No. 21 Purdue 38, Minnesota 24
Game 5: Penn State 22, No. 22 Purdue 20
Game 6: Purdue 32, No. 6 Michigan 31
Game 7: No. 21 Purdue 41, No. 17 Northwestern 28
Game 8: No. 17 Purdue 30, Wisconsin 24 (ot)
Game 9: No. 16 Purdue 31, No. 12 Ohio State 27
Game 10: Michigan State 30, No. 9 Purdue 10
Game 11: No. 17 Purdue 41, Indiana 13
Game 12: No. 4 Washington 34, No. 14 Purdue 24

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