Akers’ Future at Purdue to Be Announced Today

Purdue scheduled a news conference this afternoon amid reports that football Coach Fred Akers, whose team finished 2-9 this season, was on his way out.

Akers, whose record in four seasons is 12-31-1, was expected to attend the news conference, a Purdue spokesman said.

The Lafayette Journal and Courier today quoted a source within the Purdue athletic department as saying Akers would be released.

Akers said he met with Purdue Athletic Director George King on Wednesday, but that no decisions had been made and discussions would resume today.

Purdue President Steven Beering said an announcement needed to be made soon so that recruiting would not suffer as a result of speculation.

Akers has four years remaining on his contract, with a reported base salary of $125,000 a year.

Akers arrived at Purdue with a 96-44-2 record as a head coach after two seasons at Wyoming and 10 seasons at Texas. He was 86-31-2 at Texas but was fired after a 5-6 season in 1986.

Several people have been suggested as Akers’ successor, including Jim Colletto, a former head coach at Cal State Fullerton and now an assistant at Ohio State.

Meanwhile, police are investigating a teen-age girl’s rape complaint filed against Purdue quarterback Eric Hunter.

The high school student, who lives outside Indiana, told police she was raped Nov. 11 in a hotel room at the Purdue Memorial Union, said Joseph L. Bennett, a university vice president.

The girl identified Hunter as her assailant, Bennett said. The sophomore quarterback was the 1989 Big Ten freshman of the year.