Gene Keady coaching Pacers? Kentucky? 5 times Purdue Hall of Famer was rumored to leave.

While synonymous with Purdue basketball, believe it or not Gene Keady had a bit of a wandering eye for other jobs.

There's a good reason for that: His success attracted attention. Keady, who will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, had his name pop up in job searches a lot in the 1980s as he was building the Boilermakers into a Big Ten power. The Pacers called in 1984. Kentucky a year later. Then Texas, New Mexico, Houston and an almost-yes to Arizona State.

Here are five times the legendary Boilermakers coach was rumored or close to a departure from the school he eventually spent 25 years at.

On Pacers

Jack McKinney was fired in 1984 after the Pacers posted a league-worst 26-56 record. Plenty of names were linked with the job, including former Houston Rockets and Earlham College coach Del Harris, George Irvine (Pacers director of basketball operations), Kansas Kings coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, Phoenix Suns assistant Al Bianchi, Pacers assistant Scotty Robertson, Denver's Doug Moe, former Pacer Mel Daniels and SMU coach Dave Bliss.

Oh yeah, and Gene Keady.

Keady had just completed his fourth season at Purdue, fresh off a Big Ten title.

"... being only 60 miles away, we couldn't help but be impressed with the job Gene has done," Ray Compton, Pacers assistant general manager told Journal and Courier reporter Bob Scott. "This year was simply remarkable. He has a lot of credentials we would like in someone. We would be crazy not to consider him."

Compton, a former sportswriter, had known the Purdue coach since Keady was an assistant at Arkansas and Compton worked for the Little Rock newspaper at the time.

"As you know, there is more to coaching on the pro or college level than just X's or O's. We want somebody who is a good motivator and relates well in the community," Compton said in late April. "I'm sure Gene's someone we would have to consider, but we're not making any promises. We wouldn't want to damage his program."

Detroit News reporter Bill Halls then reported, "The hot rumor making the rounds in New York yesterday was that Gene Keady, head basketball coach at Purdue, will be offered the job with the Indiana Pacers."

Despite distancing himself from the rumors in April, Keady admitted in May to speaking with the NBA franchise.

"Yeah, I talked to them a couple weeks ago, but evidently what I asked for and what they were prepared to offer wasn't even close," Keady told Journal & Courier reporter Tom Kubat in late May 1984.

"We just wanted to talk to Gene to say hello," Compton told Kubat in May. "We would've been crazy not to consider him."

Compton called the visit with Keady "an exchange of philosophies."

But Keady said, "I'm not really interested. I would be, for my family's sake, if the money was right, but sometimes there's a fine line between money and happiness. I like my situation and I'm happy here. I like the Big Ten because the coaches get along. I found out from other coaches at the Olympic Trials that that's not the case in some of the other conferences.

"I think maybe my earlier comment about the pro players making more money than coaches might have scared (the Pacers) off. I think the main thing is that they weren't really interested in me. They put my name in the hat because I was a hot item. If we were 15-15 last year, I would've never been mentioned even though I would've probably done the same things coaching."

On Kentucky

After Joe B. Hall resigned in 1985, Keady's name popped up as a possible successor. Keady had Kentucky ties, having coached Western Kentucky for two seasons before arriving at Purdue. The rumor mill picked up speed when Keady and his wife Pat were spotted in Lexington.

But there was a good reason for that.

"I'm down here to recruit and to enjoy the Final Four," Keady said. "I played a round of golf today, and my wife, Pat, has even gone shopping. We're having a great time. Why would I come down here to recruit if I was going to apply to Kentucky? I'm really getting tired of all that stuff."

Purdue, which had handled coaches contracts on a rolling year-to-year basis, became open to the idea of granting Keady a multi-year contract.

"If you have the salary and perks situation in a good position dollar-wise at the bottom line then you've got a chance to keep anyone," Purdue AD George King said. "Gene's got to consider some things, too. He's done well here, and he's well-liked, he's established here. If you go to a place like Kentucky or UCLA, it's hard to get happy there.

"As long as the money is in the ballpark, I don't think we would lose Gene unless there is just something he's not happy with, and Gene has told me and others that he's specifically happy with his situation here and the support he gets."

The Kentucky job eventually went to Eddie Sutton, who Keady worked for at Arkansas.

Keady would later say his relationship with the 1984 recruiting class was a key reason for staying.

“I had just told kids like Troy Lewis and Todd Mitchell and Everette Stephens that I was going to coach them for four years. You’ve got to practice what you preach," Keady said later in 1987. "You preach to your kids to have integrity, don’t you? Naturally, you have to be interested in the Kentucky job because all those things that coaches work for are there — a chance to win a national championship, a chance to become wealthy, a chance to in a program where it’s not so hard to recruit. That was very attractive, but maybe not meant for Gene Keady and my family.”

On Texas

In need of a coach after firing Bob Knight's former Indiana assistant Bob Weltlich, Texas reportedly had Gene Keady high on their list.

On April 1, 1988, Keady was reported as the leading candidate for the Longhorns job after Lon Kruger removed himself from consideration. Keady and Texas' athletic director DeLoss Dodds attended Kansas State together in the 1950s.

Keady denied interest in the job to Indiana reporters in late March, but a week later told the Dallas Times-Herald he would "be a fool not to be interested."

"I don't think anybody could say they wouldn't be interested in talking with Texas. It's one of the top programs in the country. I haven't talked to anyone with Texas, because I can't without permission from my athletic director. But if I had permission, if they said it was OK, I would certainly be interested."

“They’d have to come up with something unbelievable, like The Godfather," Pat Keady said. "Gene loves the Big Ten. We’re not going anywhere.”

Keady was mentioned as a candidate by Dick Vitale on a broadcast during the NCAA tournament. A report on CNN even claimed Keady and Texas were close to an agreement, which Keady quickly refuted.

“That’s unbelievable. I have not been offered a job. I’m not interested," he said. "What I’ve been trying to do is get the media off my back. I’m not going anyplace. Sure I talked to (Texas AD Dodds) — we were teammates at K-State. We talked about it (the Texas vacancy), but I’m not interested.”

Journal & Courier columnist John Millman wrote: “In my view, Keady didn’t ever really want to go to Texas. He wants to win an NCAA title, and it wouldn’t happen there… Keady did want to hear what the Longhorns were willing to pay for his services. He wanted to test his market value. That’s part of the game coaches play. And if Texas did make him an offer he couldn’t refuse…”

On New Mexico

In May 1988, media reports in Albuquerque speculated Keady was going to accept a financial package, which include a house, from New Mexico. Headlines in Albuquerque newspapers read, ‘Keady’s acceptance may be near,’ and ‘UNM trying to wrap up package for Keady.’

Keady's wife, Pat, rebuked those reports: “There’s nothing true to any stories.”

Dave Bliss also a finalist said, “Honestly, I haven’t worried about it a lot because I’ve been thinking like everybody else that Gene Keady was who they wanted and he was going to take it. I don’t know what to think if his wife says he’s not interested. I’m interested…”

Keady turned New Mexico down, who then pivoted to courting Bob Knight before eventually hiring Bliss, one of Knight's former assistants.

“The Texas thing ruined my Final Four visit, because that’s all anyone wanted to talk about," Keady said. "Really, in that case I was just talking with the athletic director, who happened to be a classmate of mine at Kansas State.

“New Mexico was a little more serious, because my friend (James Thrash) lives in Albuquerque. If I had gotten serious about that, he could’ve been one of my assistants.

“But, in neither case did I even visit those schools. Once it got into the newspapers, once people really started bothering me about them, I cut off the discussions.”

Purdue recruit Craig Riley said Keady’s flirtation with New Mexico “scares me a little” but also heard Keady was talking with New Mexico to give him leverage in his bid to have improvements made at Mackey Arena, including much-needed new lighting.

“I always loved Albuquerque and loved The Pit," Keady would say years later. "It’s a basketball fanatic’s place. My wife and I have always loved the West, so it was a situation we looked at.”

On Arizona State

In March 1989, Keady rejected an estimated offer of $300,000 a year to return for a 10th season in West Lafayette. Keady called it "the most difficult decision I've ever made."

After a Sunday campus visit in Tempe with his wife, Keady thought he'd "probably" take the job. He got a call Monday night from Dick Vitale, trying to persuade him to take the ASU job.

"He called and said, 'You're crazy if you don't take that job.' He said, 'I know the people at Purdue have been great and they love you, but that's a sleeping giant out there.' I guess it's just one of those situations where an outsider sees things differently than when you're at the university you love," Keady said.

The next day, Keady met with Purdue president Dr. Steven Beering and athletic director George King.

"Walking into that meeting, I really didn't know what I was going to do," Keady said. "When I took this job, I said it was the chance of a lifetime and I still feel that way. But after going out there Sunday, I was very impressed with (ASU's) facilities, the weather and certainly the people. But I go into that meeting ... and I looked out the window and thought about the tradition, and knew what people had been saying about our program, how supportive they've been, and I just decided I was going to coach the Boilermakers again next year.

"Pat and I enjoy this Midwest-type living. It's basically all we know," Keady added. "We're pretty simple people who enjoy a pretty simple life and that had a lot to do with it. It was a tough decision because it was great out there. But one of our goals is to win a national championship. I think they can do it out there, but I think we can do it sooner here."

Keady's wife, Pat, admitted she was surprised the ASU courtship got as far as it did, but was glad to have a resolution.

"In the time Gene's been here (nine years), he's had four exceptional offers from other universities," Pat Keady said. "He never really talked to any of them. Oh, there was a phone call, but that was about it. But this (Arizona State) was the one job he always wanted."

Even members of Keady's staff thought he was gone.

“I remember Keady called me and I definitely thought he was gone,” said then-assistant coach Bruce Weber. “He thought he had done as much as he could here. But I think he realized he’s a perfect match for Purdue. People talk about Purdue mentality, but it is a special mentality. Coach fits the mentality. It’s a blue-collar, hard-working mentality. People enjoy that. I know he’s pleased he did stay.”

Purdue recruit Todd Schoettelkotte was happy to see Vitale eat a little crow.

"I'd watch those Monday (ESPN) games and hear Vitale say that Keady was gone.' I'd switch the channel and say, 'Shut up,'" Schoettelkotte told IndyStar's Bill Benner. "Now they should buy Vitale a toothbrush and make him scrub Mackey Arena."

Keady said he'd never say never about a job, but he "closed the door pretty much."

"I think, because this (ASU) job was a dream job. I thought if I ever ended (my career) it would be there but it didn't happen so you can make your own conclusions from that."

Previous reporting in the Journal & Courier, Indianapolis News and Associated Press was used in this story.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball: Gene Keady had plenty of job offers along the way