Tom Allen, Jon Gruden, Mike DeBord Sit-Down

Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen: Jon, we want to thank you for coming and welcome you back home to Indiana. I know your dad spent time here with Coach Corso. Just kind of tell us about the time you spent here and your memories of Bloomington.

Jon Gruden: It was the five best years of my family's life. My brothers Jim and Jay, we played little league here. My older brother was a coach. Me and Jay won a city championship on the West Side Lions. The five years we spent as a part of the IU football program under Lee Corso were great years. We beat LSU at LSU. We beat Washington at Washington. We never really pushed it over the top, but it was such a great city to live in. What you've done here with facilities, this is unbelievable. People need to learn about what's going on here in this football program. We had a great run here with our family.

Allen: You are right. That's what drew me back home with the commitment they made with the facilities, to the coaches, to be able to invest in the program. A part is recruiting and a part is taking care of the guys when they come here and having them in a great environment to be in. The weight room is second to none, training facility, quality people. People always make it special.

Gruden: When you take a hard look at it, you're going to get a great education. Trust me, it's a great place to live. You're going to have a lot of fun socially. When you service your players with that kind of environment. That weight room, that's as good as there is in the world. You come into these meeting rooms, what you're doing with the stadium, the coach's office, it's unbelievable. There's 42,000 students here just crying out for people to take a good look at IU. With your leadership and Mike DeBord in here, I'm really excited to be here and I can't wait to see you guys play tonight.

Allen: We are thrilled you're here and I feel like you can get a world-class education at Indiana, play in the Big Ten East, the best division in college football, and be mentored as a young man to be special as a person. We think its a great combination. I'm really blessed to have that guy (points to Mike DeBord).

Gruden: No doubt. A big reason I'm here is because of you guys. I haven't been back in 40 years and I got goosebumps flying back. I went to see my old house, went by the Cascades Golf Course, where I got my first birdie. Just great memories and to see you, what you've done as a coach, just turn the film on. If you want to know what Allen's all about at Indiana, just put the tape on. Now you're the head coach and you have Mike DeBord in here, what a battery you have. We just have to keep grinding, keep letting people know the resources that are here at IU. Take a look at it. If you're looking for a place to go to college and play football, if there's a better place than Indiana, I hope they go there.

Offensive Coordinator Mike DeBord: You haven't been back to Bloomington in how many years, 40 years?

Gruden: I'm not that old am I? Yeah, it's been 40 years. Forty-one years I think.

DeBord: When you came back to Bloomington, you got to see the campus. What were your thoughts?

Gruden: A lot of the places we remember are still here. It's still beautiful, but you see new facilities everywhere and they are in that limestone, that building, that class where it looks like it's been here for 20 years but it's brand new. The facilities have been upgraded, it's spectacular. It's classy, it's traditional, and it's on the way. Like I said, if there's a better place to go and be an undergraduate college student or college football player, go there.

DeBord: That's great to hear. I'll tell you what, like Tom said, we are excited you're here and all three of us have one thing in common. When we were young we were here, we were raised here and it means a lot to have you back.

Gruden: Well, this IU logo, it stands for a lot, it carries a lot of weight in our family. Basketball, I was one of Bobby Knight's ball boys. As a matter of fact, we were 32-0 that year. You guys need a ball boy, maybe I can help you out. I love ya and I'm really proud, thrilled for your opportunity. Let's go get some first downs tonight.

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