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The Purdue Boilermakers are the official
intercollegiate athletics College athletics encompasses non-professional, collegiate and university-level competitive sports and games. World University Games The first World University Games were held in 1923. There were originally called the ''Union Nationale des É ...
teams representing
Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mon ...
, located in
West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister city ...
. As is common with
athletic nickname Athletic may refer to: * An athlete, a sportsperson * Athletic director, a position at many American universities and schools * Athletic type, a physical/psychological type in the classification of Ernst Kretschmer * Athletic of Philadelphia, a b ...
s, the Boilermakers nickname is also used as colloquial designation of Purdue's students and alumni at large. The nickname is often shortened to "Boilers" by fans. Purdue is one of the few college athletic programs that is not funded by student fees or subsidized by the university.


Origin of "Boilermakers" nickname

In 1889, the Purdue football team played
Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cur ...
in
Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville is a city in Montgomery County in west central Indiana, United States, west by northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,306. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County, the only char ...
, and won the game 18-4. Students from the college and citizens of Crawfordsville began calling the Purdue players "a great big burly gang of corn-huskers", "
grangers The Grange, officially named The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, is a social organization in the United States that encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and ...
", "pumpkin-shuckers", "railsplitters", "blacksmiths," "cornfield sailors", and "foundry hands". The Purdue students experienced hands-on education at the university, including the maintenance of a fully operational steam locomotive. Purdue defeated Wabash College again in 1891, 44–0. An account of the game in the Crawfordsville Daily Argus News of October 26, 1891, was headlined, "Slaughter of Innocents: Wabash Snowed Completely Under by the Burly Boiler Makers from Purdue". Purdue became known as the
Boilermaker A boilermaker is a tradesperson who fabricates steel, iron, or copper into boilers and other large containers intended to hold hot gas or liquid, as well as maintains and repairs boilers and boiler systems.Bureau of Labor Statistics, US De ...
s the next year. Several of the local schools added to the boilermaker tradition by suggesting that Purdue was going up the Wabash River and hiring workers from the nearby
Monon railroad The Monon Railroad , also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville Railway from 1897 to 1971, was an American railroad that operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana. The Monon was merged into the Louisville and Nashville Ra ...
yards to play football. Purdue's official mascot is a locomotive, the
Boilermaker Special The Boilermaker Special is the official mascot of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. It resembles a Victorian-era railroad locomotive and is built on a truck chassis. It is operated and maintained by the student members of the Purdu ...
. The Monon Railroad had its main locomotive shops in Lafayette, not far from campus. Purdue's athletic teams wear a combination of old-gold, black, and white, colors that have identified Purdue since 1887.


Varsity sports


Football

In the early 1890s Purdue fielded dominating football teams. In 1891 Purdue went 4-0, outscoring opponents 192-0. In 1892 Purdue went 8-0, outscoring opponents 320-24. In 1893 Purdue went 5-2-1, outscoring opponents 334-144. In 1894 Purdue went 9-1, outscoring opponents 288-36. Over these four years, Purdue's combined record was 26-3-1, outscoring opponents 1134-204. Purdue beat in-state rival Indiana University 60-0, 68-0, 64-0, and 6-0 by an understandable forfeit. Purdue went 2-1 against Illinois, 2-1 Wisconsin, 3-0 against Chicago and split 2 games with Michigan. The Purdue Boilermakers competed as 'Independent' until 1889. In 1890, they joined the 'Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association' and, finally, the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representat ...
in 1896. The Purdue Boilermakers have been Big Ten Conference Champions in 1918, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1943, 1952, 1967 and 2000. However, they made their first appearance in the Rose Bowl - the "grand-daddy of them all" - with a 1966 second-place finish in the Big Ten; conference rules at that time prevented Michigan State from appearing in consecutive Rose Bowls. The Boilermakers, under
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
hall-of-famer
Bob Griese Robert Allen Griese (pronounced ; born February 3, 1945) is a former American football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins. Gries ...
defeated the
University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...
Trojans 14-13 to win the 1967 Rose Bowl. When the Boilermakers shared the Big Ten title the following season, the consecutive-appearance rule kept them out of the 1968 Rose Bowl. Purdue did not return to the Rose Bowl until 2001, under future
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
quarterback,
Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...
, losing to the
University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle ...
Huskies 34-24. The Boilermakers have appeared in a total of 20 post-season bowl games, compiling a record of 11-9. Their most recent appearance was a 48-45 victory over the
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
Volunteers in the 2021 Music City Bowl. Purdue has traditionally been called the 'Cradle of Quarterbacks', having produced NFL stars
Cecil Isbell Cecil Frank Isbell (July 11, 1915 – June 23, 1985) was an American football quarterback and coach. He played five years in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers, leading them to the NFL Championship in 1939. He retire ...
, Dale Samuels, Bob DeMoss, NFL Hall of Famer and
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
MVP
Len Dawson Leonard Ray Dawson (June 20, 1935 – August 24, 2022) was an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Kansas City Chiefs franchise. Aft ...
, NFL Hall of Famer
Bob Griese Robert Allen Griese (pronounced ; born February 3, 1945) is a former American football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins. Gries ...
,
Mike Phipps Michael Elston Phipps (born January 19, 1947) is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. Phipps played college footba ...
,
Gary Danielson Gary Dennis Danielson (born September 10, 1951) is an American college football commentator and former professional American football player. Danielson was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Detroit Lions from ...
,
Mark Herrmann Mark Donald Herrmann (born January 8, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. Herrmann played college football for the ...
, Scott Campbell,
Jim Everett James Samuel Everett III (born January 3, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for the Purdue Boile ...
, Eric Hunter, Billy Dicken,
Kyle Orton Kyle Raymond Orton (born November 14, 1982) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draf ...
and
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
MVP
Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...
. Purdue QBs have thrown more touchdowns in the NFL than any other university, 1,311 at the end of the 2010 season. In 2011, there were three starting quarterbacks in the NFL from Purdue: Drew Brees of the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, Kyle Orton of the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
, and Curtis Painter of the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. The team is currently coached by Jeff Brohm.


Basketball

The Boilermaker men's and women's basketball teams have won more Big Ten Championships (regular season and tournament) than any other conference school, with 37 conference banners, including a league-leading 24 for the men’s team. Men’s former head coach
Gene Keady Lloyd Eugene Keady (born May 21, 1936) is an American basketball coach. He is best known for his 25 years serving as the head men's basketball coach at Purdue University in Indiana. In his tenure leading the Boilermakers from 1980 to 2005, he went ...
coached his final season with the Boilermakers in the 2004–2005 season after 25 years with the Boilermakers. Coach Keady became Purdue's all-time-winningest coach on December 6, 1997. In his years at Purdue, Keady led the Boilermakers to a 512-270 record and a .655 winning percentage. The current coach of the Boilermaker men's basketball team is
Matt Painter Matthew Curtis Painter (born August 27, 1970) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the men's basketball coach at Purdue University, having held that position since 2005. Before Purdue, Painter held coaching positions ...
. A former player and Purdue Alum under Keady, Painter is now in his 11th season as the head coach and is currently third on the school's all-time wins list.


Baseball

The Purdue Boilermakers baseball team have been conference champions twice, in 1909 and 2012. In 1987, 2012 and 2018 they appeared in the NCAA tournament.


Men's golf

The Purdue golf team inaugural season was in 1921. The team earned a national championship in 1961, and have been Big Ten champions twelve times. The team has had two NCAA individual champions: Fred Wampler in 1950 and Joe Campbell in 1955. The team has also earned 12 Big Ten championships through 2017.


Softball

The Boilermaker softball team began play in 1994. The team has made two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009. The current head coach is Boo De Oliveira.


Wrestling

The Purdue Boilermaker
wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sports ...
team started in the 1913-1914 season. As a team, the Boilermakers have placed as high as 2nd at the
NCAA National Championships Listed below are the colleges or universities with the most NCAA Division I-sanctioned team championships, individual championships, and combined team and individual championships, as documented by information published on official NCAA websites ...
, and have had individual wrestlers qualify for the NCAA tournament for over 25 years straight. The team is coached by Tony Ersland, who wrestled for the University of Iowa under legendary coach
Dan Gable Danny Mack Gable (born October 25, 1948) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Gable is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a world gold medalist ...
. He is assisted by Tyrel Todd, Kendric Maple, and Jake Sueflohn. The team competes in the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representat ...
. Purdue Wrestling practices in the Blake Wrestling Training Center and competes on campus in the Holloway Gymnasium (2,288).


Championships


NCAA team championships

Purdue University has won 3 NCAA national championships: *Men's (1) **
Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping w ...
(1):
1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...
*Women's (2) **
Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
(1): 1999 **
Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping w ...
(1): 2010


Other national team titles

*Not bestowed by the NCAA: **Men’s basketball (1): 1932 (retroactive Helms and Premo-Porretta selections) ** Football (1): 1931 ( Parke Davis)


Athletic accomplishments


Baseball

*'' Big Ten Champions'': 1909, 2012


Basketball


Men's

*'' NCAA Championship Runner-Up'': 1969 *''NCAA Final Four'': 1969,
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...
*'' NIT Champions'':
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
*''NIT Championship Runner-Up'':
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
,
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., U ...
*'' Big Ten Champions'': 1911, 1912c, 1921c, 1922, 1926c, 1928c, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1935c, 1936c, 1938, 1940, 1969, 1979c, 1984c, 1987c, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1996,
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A ...
c,
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a se ...
,
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
c *'' Big Ten tournament Champions'':
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
*'' Helms National Champions'': 1932 *'' Premo-Porretta Champions'': 1932


Women's

*'' NCAA National Champions'':
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
*''NCAA Championship Runner-Up'':
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...
*''NCAA Final Four'':
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
, 1999, 2001 *'' Big Ten Champions'': 1991, 1994c, 1995c, 1997c, 1999, 2001, 2002 *'' Big Ten tournament Champions'': 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008,
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gath ...
,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...


Cross country: men

*''Big Ten Champions'': 1916, 1941, 1943


Cross country: women

*''Big Ten Champions'': 1980†


Football

*''Bowl Game Victories'':
1967 Rose Bowl The 1967 Rose Bowl was the 53rd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, January 2. The game matched the #7 Purdue Boilermakers of the Big Ten Conference and the unranked USC Tro ...
, 1978 Peach Bowl, 1979 Bluebonnet Bowl, 1980 Liberty Bowl, 1997 Alamo Bowl, 1998 Alamo Bowl, 2002 Sun Bowl,
2007 Motor City Bowl The 2007 Motor City Bowl, part of the 2007-08 NCAA football bowl games season, occurred on December 26, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The Central Michigan Chippewas, who won their second straight Mid-American Conference ...
,
2011 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl The 2011 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, the 15th edition of the game, was a post-season American college football bowl game that was held on December 27, 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season, 2011 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan as part of the ...
, 2017 Foster Farms Bowl, 2021 Music City Bowl *'' Big Ten Champions'':
1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...
c,
1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...
,
1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 � ...
c,
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
c,
1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...
c,
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes ...
c,
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
c, 2000c *''National Poll Championships'': 1931 - Parke Davis; 1943 - Cliff Morgan, Ray Bryne, Nutshell Sports Football Ratings, The State's National Champions


Field hockey

*''Big Ten Champions'': 1978†, 1979†


Golf: men

*'' NCAA Championship (Individual)'':
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
- Fred Wampler,
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijiangs ...
- Joe Campbell *''NCAA National Champions (Team)'':
1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...
*''Big Ten Champions'': 1950, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1981


Golf: women

*'' NCAA Championship (Individual)'': 2009 - María Hernández *'' NCAA National Champions'': 2010 *''Big Ten Champions'': 2000, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013


Soccer: women

*'' Big Ten tournament Champions'': 2007


Softball

*
Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...
appearance: 1972


Swimming and diving: men

*'' NCAA Men's Chamipionship 1-meter (Individual)'': David Boudia - 2010, 2011; Steele Johnson -
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
,
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a se ...
*''NCAA Men's Championship 3-meter (Individual)'': David Boudia - 2009, 2010, 2011; Steele Johnson - 2017 *''NCAA Men's Championship Platform (Individual)'': David Boudia - 2009; Steele Johnson - 2015; Brandon Loschiavo - 2021; Tyler Downs - 2022


Tennis: women

*''Big Ten Champions'': 2012


Track and field: women

''Indoor'' *''Big Ten Champions'': 2001 ''Outdoor'' *''Big Ten Champions'': 1987, 1999, 2017


Volleyball

*''Big Ten Champions'': 1979†, 1980†, 1982, 1985


Wrestling

*''Big Ten Champions'': 1942, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954 ''c = Co-Champions'' ''† = Women's championships were not fully sanctioned with the Big Ten Conference until the 1981-1982 season.''


Non-varsity sports


Purdue Crew

The Purdue Crew is a student athletic rowing club established in 1949. It is the largest such club on campus with an average of 130 members throughout the season. The program competes nationwide against both club and D1 programs. As a club, the Crew is supported by Purdue University's Department of Recreational Sports by employing the head and assistant coach positions. Strong alumni support has allowed for much of the growth and success of the program by financing equipment and facilities. The club sponsors or supports several annual events, including the Hunger Hike and the Feast of the Hunter's Moon.Feast of the Hunter’s Moon event home page


Equestrian

Purdue is home to both an English and Western riding program. Their English team specializes in Hunt Seat and is a member of the
Intercollegiate Horse Show Association The Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) is a nonprofit organization composed of men and women of all riding levels and offers individual and team competition in hunter seat equitation, Western horsemanship and reining at more than 400 m ...
. The Purdue Equestrian team was founded in 1980 by Jerry Steinmetz, who coached the team until 2017. His daughter, Krista Steinmetz, became the coach in that year. The team has reached the
Intercollegiate Horse Show Association The Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) is a nonprofit organization composed of men and women of all riding levels and offers individual and team competition in hunter seat equitation, Western horsemanship and reining at more than 400 m ...
(IHSA) Nationals twenty times, placing in the top 10 ten times. The team has a student-run Executive Board in which current Purdue students help run the club.


Gymnastics

Purdue gymnastics competes in National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs (NAIGC) with a 2nd place men's finish in both 2015 and 2016. In 2019, the team placed 1st in the modified NCAA division.


Rugby

Founded in 1970, Purdue plays
college rugby College rugby is played by men and women throughout colleges and universities in the United States of America. Seven-a-side and fifteen-a-side variants of rugby union are most commonly played. Most collegiate rugby programs do not fall under the ...
in the Big Ten Universities conference against its traditional Big 10 rivals such as Indiana, and also plays in the annual Big 10 rugby sevens tournament each fall. Purdue men's rugby is led by head coach Casey Doten, and Purdue women's rugby is led by head coach Lake Paul.


Men's volleyball

Purdue has a successful men's volleyball program that competes in the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation (NCVF). Purdue won the Big Ten Championship tournament in 2014.


Men's soccer

Since at least the 1930s, Purdue has fielded a club soccer team. The club team reached the 1951 Soccer Bowl, which predated the
NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champ ...
as the national championship for men's soccer. There, Purdue lost to Penn State. The team has won the Club Soccer National Championship 3 times, in 1991, 1994, and 2019.


Water skiing

The Purdue Water Ski Team was formed in 1980 and qualified for their first national championships in 1984. Purdue represented the Midwest Region at the National Championships for 15 straight years from 1996 to 2012, with their best team finish in 2007, taking 4th place in the nation. Purdue has had two individual event National Champions with Cale Burdick winning the Men's Slalom National Title in 2004 and again in 2006, his freshman and junior years respectively.


Men's Lacrosse

The Men's Club Lacrosse team was founded in 1971 by David Hoof. The team currently competes in the MCLA's Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference. In 2013, the team played in the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference's East division, which they won with a 9-5 record, going on to win the conference championship, earning a bid to the MCLA tournament where they lost in the first round to top ranked Colorado State. They had similar success in the 2015 season, going 9-6 and winning the conference championship, then losing to top ranked Grand Canyon in the first round. Their next season went the same, ending 9-6, winning the conference championship, and losing in the first round of the MCLA tournament, this time to Chapman. The team's current coach is Dan Sahm, former Boilermaker captain, defensive player of the year, and HM All-American.


Facilities

* Alexander Field – Baseball *Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex – Men's and Women's Golf The golf complex houses 2 distinct 18 hole courses, The Ackerman Hills Course and the Kampen Course. The golf complex also includes the Pete Dye Clubhouse, Tom Spurgeon Golf Training Center, short game areas and a driving range. The Kampen Course hosted the Women's NCAA golf championship in 2003 and the Men's NCAA championship in 2008. *Boilermaker Cross Country Course – Men's and Women's Cross Country *Boilermaker Softball Stadium – Softball *Dennis J. and Mary Lou Schwartz Tennis Center – Men's and Women's Tennis The facility is home to 12 outdoor and 6 indoor tennis courts. *Folk Field – Women's Soccer *Holloway Gymnasium – Volleyball, Wrestling In addition to holding Belin Court as a dedicated surface for Volleyball and primary competition arena for Wrestling, the building is also the location of the Brees Academic Performance Center, home to several other athletic facilities. The Athletic Ticket Office, Jane P. Beering Academic Learning Center, and large weightroom are also inside the Brees building. Additionally, the football game day locker rooms are located in Brees. * Lambert Fieldhouse – Men's and Women's Indoor Track Originally home to the Boilermaker basketball team and the Boilermaker Swimming Team, the fieldhouse now is used solely by the Men's and Women's Track teams for indoor competitions. The pool has been filled in to make way for a training center for the wrestling team. *
Mackey Arena Mackey Arena is located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Part of the Purdue University campus, it is home to the university's basketball teams, and occasionally hosts home games for the volleyball and wrestling teams. The arena opened in 1967 as a repl ...
– Men's and Women's Basketball *Mollenkopf Athletic Center – An indoor training facility used primarily for the football team. It includes a full practice football field, extensive weight room, and offices for the football program. Also housed in Mollenkopf is the Purdue Football Hall of Glory. Mollenkopf was expanded in 2017 with the addition of the Football Performance Complex. The expansion includes new team meeting and film rooms, new coach's offices, a state of the art weight room and new locker room. *Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center – Men's and Women's Diving, Men's and Women's Swimming The Aquatic center was an addition to the Purdue Recreational Services Center in 2001. The aquatic center includes an Olympic sized pool, diving well, dressing facilities, hot tub, and spectator areas. *Rankin Track & Field – Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field *
Ross–Ade Stadium Ross–Ade Stadium is a stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana, on the campus of Purdue University. It is the home field of Purdue Boilermakers football. The stadium was dedicated on November 22, 1924, and named in honor of Purdue alumni George Ade ...
– Football


Rivalry

Purdue's main rivals are the
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...
Hoosiers, against whom the Purdue football team plays annually for the
Old Oaken Bucket The Old Oaken Bucket is a traveling trophy awarded in American college football as part of the rivalry between the Indiana Hoosiers football team of Indiana University and Purdue Boilermakers football team of Purdue University. It was first ...
. The Purdue football team also competes against the
Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I intercollegiate sports and ...
from the
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
for the Shillelagh Trophy and the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Universi ...
Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...
for the Purdue Cannon trophy.


Athletic bands

Purdue's Band was formed in 1886 and named the 'All-American' Marching Band in 1935. The AAMB has made 99 consecutive appearances as the host band for the
Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianap ...
. The AAMB performs at all home football games where they play the university fight songs, Hail Purdue! being the most famous, and other songs ranging from
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major f ...
to
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
. Gold and Black Sound (GABS) is the athletic band for women's basketball. They are among the largest pep bands in the country, with more than 250 members. Boiler Brass is the athletic band for men's basketball. Boiler Box Band is the athletic band for the volleyball team.


Mascots


Boilermaker Special

The
Boilermaker Special The Boilermaker Special is the official mascot of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. It resembles a Victorian-era railroad locomotive and is built on a truck chassis. It is operated and maintained by the student members of the Purdu ...
has been the official mascot of Purdue since the 1930s. The 'Specials' are
Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian ...
locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the us ...
s. The Boilermaker Special I made its debut on the first day of classes in 1940. Alumni, faculty and students have since then raised funds to replace the Special as it has worn out. The Boilermaker Special V was unveiled in 1993 at the Purdue–Notre Dame game.


Purdue Pete

In 1940, the then owners of the University Bookstore, Doc Epple and Red Sammons, hired local artist Art Evans to draw a
boilermaker A boilermaker is a tradesperson who fabricates steel, iron, or copper into boilers and other large containers intended to hold hot gas or liquid, as well as maintains and repairs boilers and boiler systems.Bureau of Labor Statistics, US De ...
to use as an advertising icon for the bookstore. A modernized version is still used in that capacity at University Bookstore. In 1944, the editors of the university's Debris yearbook sought, and obtained, permission from University Bookstore to use Purdue Pete on the cover of the 1944 edition of the Debris yearbook. When asked the name of the boilermaker depicted in the advertising drawing, Epple coined the name "Pete". Since 1956, Purdue Pete has been a regular at Purdue games - usually wearing the head with a football or basketball uniform and portrayed by one of four selected members of the spirit squad. Originally, the head costume was made of chicken wire and papier-mâché, but in later years has been made of fiberglass for better durability during rainy football games. Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School in north-east Illinois also uses a mascot similar to Pete called "Bruno the Boilermaker".


The Boilermaker

The Boilermaker is a statue located adjacent to Ross Ade Stadium that was dedicated on Friday, November 4, 2005, as a monument commemorating the "indomitable spirit of the boilermaker".


References


External links

* {{Indiana Sports