West Lafayette, IN -- (Sports Network) - Purdue University hired Danny Hope as their associate head football coach Friday, and named Hope as the man who will take over the reigns of the program when Joe Tiller retires following the 2008 season.

Hope inked a six-year contract, with the final five as head coach. Hope, 49, served as the offensive line coach under Tiller at Purdue from 1997 to 2001, and returns to the Boilermakers after serving as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky from 2003 to 2007. Hope will be signed to a six-year contract, serving the final five years of the deal as Purdue's head coach.

"It's great to be a Boilermaker again," Hope said in a statement released by the school. "I am honored and humbled to be back at a special place like Purdue University. I'm looking forward to being on Coach Tiller's staff again. The years I spent at Purdue were some of the greatest of my coaching life. I can't wait to get started."

In five years at Eastern Kentucky, Hope compiled a 35-22 overall record, and a 32-8 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play. In 2007, Hope led Eastern Kentucky to a 9-3 season and an OVC championship, winning the OVC Coach of the Year award in the process.

"This is a great day for Purdue football," Tiller said. "We are excited about the 2008 season and beyond. Danny is the perfect choice to take over this program. He is charismatic, hardworking and has a passion for the sport of college football. He also has head coaching experience; he understands the difference between making suggestions and making decisions. I feel very good that he will be my successor."

Tiller will coach one more year, his 12th with the Boilermakers. In 11 seasons, Tiller has posted an 83-54 record and has taken Purdue to 10 bowl games, including the 2001 Rose Bowl.