Former Purdue Boilermakers basketball player and assistant coach Frank Kendrick has passed away, the family and Purdue Basketball announced today. An All American at Indianapolis Tech, Kendrick played for the Boilers from 1971-1974. leading the Boilers to an NIT Championship in 1974. In that seam year, Kendrick was named First Team All B1G and an All American (Helms Athletic Foundation).
Following his time at Purdue, Kendrick was drafted to the Golden State Warriors and spent one season where he helped the team win the 1975 NBA Championship. The following year, he would play overseas and spent nearly a decade playing in professional leagues in Belgium, France, and Switzerland. Kendrick, however, is probably best known as the main assistant coach to the beloved Gene Keady from 1989-1999. He maintained a positive rapport with the program after leaving and returned for the alumni game held in the summer for the past several years.
It was recently made public that Frank had been battling cancer and his prognosis has taken a turn for the worse. All of us at Hammer and Rails provide our deepest condolences to the Kendrick family.