Gary Nord to miss Iowa game with back injury

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue offensive coordinator Gary Nord is under doctor's care at a Lafayette hospital and will miss Saturday's game at Iowa.

Nord has been hospitalized since Wednesday after injuring his back.

Gary Nord is in his fourth season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He was named to the position Dec. 1, 2008, and added an assistant head coach title to his job after the 2009 season.

Nord's 2011 offense featured a rushing attacked that saw 16 different players finish with at least one carry and 13 different players record at least one reception. The 22 rushing touchdowns scored were the most for a Purdue squad since 2007.

Tasked with redesigning the Purdue offense on nearly a weekly basis due to injuries in 2010, Nord guided the Boilermakers to five straight games with over 200 yards rushing. The feat marked merely the third time in school history the Boilermakers had done so. Nord was forced to start four different quarterbacks, the first time in school history, but helped guide redshirt freshman Rob Henry to a team-high 547 yards rushing and 996 yards passing.

Nord and current Purdue head coach Danny Hope worked together from 1985 to 1995. Nord has coached numerous players who have gone on to the National Football League; among them, Mark Clayton, Ernest Givens and Browning Nagle.

A native of Louisville, Ky., Nord played tight end for the hometown Cardinals and earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts in 1979. He and his wife, Kathy, have three children: Colleen, Nicole and Nate. Nate is a junior tight end at Louisville.