PNW Director of Athletics Emeritus John Friend Passes Away

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) Athletics says it is mourning the passing of PNW Director of Athletics Emeritus John Friend who died Friday June 7, 2024, at the age of 89. The university said Friend served as Director of Athletics at Purdue Calumet for 20 years before retiring in 2001. Prior to joining Purdue, the university said Friend served as a football coach, basketball coach, and athletic director at Hammond and Munster high schools. The basketball court at PNW’s Fitness and Recreation Center in Hammond was named “John Friend Court” in his honor in 2017, and he was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame and other halls of fame including Purdue Northwest Athletics and the National Association of Collegiate Athletics, PNW said.