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Purdue Pete, the Purdue mascot, poses on the sideline during a football game against Illinois Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.
AP Photo/Bradley LeebLAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Business owners in West Lafayette say they've felt the impact of Purdue University's tumultuous football season.
Purdue fired Head Coach Darrell Hazell midway through his fourth season last week, ending his tenure with the worst winning percentage of any coach at the university in nearly a century.
Local merchandisers have acutely felt the impact of the losses as they rely on school spirit to sell Purdue University-branded items.
Chauncey Hill Mall's University Spirit store employee Rhyannon Barrett said business has been declining since about 2014. Profits are down between $10,000 and $20,000 each year, she said.
Purdue athletics spokesman Tom Schott says more than 19,500 season tickets were sold as of Sept. 26. There are 56,000 seats in the Ross-Ade Stadium.
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