Burke ready to pass baton to Purdue's new athletic director

After a six-month search, school administrators announced Aug. 9 that they had hired Bobinski, who plans to finish his own AD duties next week at Georgia Tech.

Burke, meanwhile, will complete his quarter-century of service at Purdue in a yet-to-be-defined role that will run through June.

Since taking the job in January 1993, Burke has seen just about everything — three straight Big Ten titles in men's basketball, national championships in women's basketball and women's golf, even a Rose Bowl trip following the 2000 season.

While Burke did his best work behind the scenes, he presided over numerous renovations and expansion projects, countless celebrations and formed the "25-85" goal — a term that asked each team to aspire to Top 25 status on the field and produce a Graduation Success Rate of at least 85 percent.

[...] though Burke hasn't decided what the next chapter in his life will be, he insists that Bobinski is inheriting an athletic department on the move in all sports, including football, despite the shrinking crowds.

Burke tried to leave Purdue before, announcing his resignation in 1998 so he could return to private business.