Purdue basketball, volleyball siblings seize NIL opportunity with children's books

WEST LAFAYETTE — Name, image and likeness (NIL) didn't exist during Rosevelt Colvin's college career.

The former Purdue football standout saw a unique opportunity when his children became Boilermakers , though. The NIL rule was passed in 2021 and Colvin's kids have the opportunity to benefit from it.

Colvin played defensive end at Purdue from 1995-98 before spending a decade in the NFL , which included winning two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.

Raven Colvin is a four-year starter for the Purdue volleyball team and currently one of the top middle hitters in the Big Ten. Myles Colvin helped the Boilermaker men's basketball team advance to its first NCAA championship game since 1969 as a freshman last season.

"When Myles committed, we always felt like we would try to take advantage of some opportunity from a name, image and likeness perspective," Rosevelt Colvin said. "I thought we could tie in the Purdue community somehow.

"Obviously I did well here. Raven has been doing well. And then Myles got an opportunity to play last year and this ought to be a big year for him."

More: Car crash took away his Notre Dame football dream. Now, he begins a new one with Purdue.

The family mulled over ideas.

Colvin family T-shirts? Those are coming.

But first ...

"It was originally my dad's idea, a great idea with NIL because I think it connects us to more people," Raven said. "He said, 'I think I am going to make a children's book.' It was a collaboration. We talked every day about what it was going to be."

One book became three.

"Raven Flies High" chronicles the Purdue volleyball star's upbringing and rise to become a leader for the Boilermakers.

"Myles and Miles and Miles and Miles and Myles" details Myles Colvin's birth in Rhode Island and moving to Indiana, his international basketball travels and a trip to the Final Four as a Purdue freshman.

"Family Ties: A Purdue Story About Raven Colvin & Myles Colvin. Oh, and They're Father, Rosevelt" rolls all three ending up in West Lafayette into one short story. The Colvins also have A,B,C books in the works.

All three books are available on Amazon for $15.99 each.

Rosevelt Colvin used artificial intelligence (AI) to create animated caricatures for the books, and received approval from Purdue to use logos to enhance the stories with pictures.

"It's been a really great, positive reaction," Myles said. "The first day, we sold out of everything. Not to say I didn't think this would do well, but I didn't know it was going to do that well."

Amazon indeed had to put Myles' book on back order almost immediately due to demand.

"It's been fun trying to take their thoughts and ideas," Rosevelt said, "and put it on paper and change it into pictorial form and transition it into what it is."

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue basketball, volleyball siblings seize NIL opportunity with children's books