Purdue Boilermakers
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| Purdue Boilermakers | |
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| University | Purdue University |
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| Conference | Big Ten |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Morgan Burke |
| Location | West Lafayette, IN |
| Varsity teams | 18 |
| Football stadium | Ross-Ade Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Mackey Arena |
| Mascot | Boilermaker Special Purdue Pete Rowdy |
| Nickname | Boilermakers |
| Fight song | Hail Purdue! |
| Colors | Old Gold and Black
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| Homepage | PurdueSports.com |
Boilermakers is the official moniker for the intercollegiate athletic teams of Purdue University. As is common with athletic nicknames, it is also used as colloquial designation of Purdue's students and alumni at large.
The nickname is often shortened to "Boilers" by fans of the school.
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[edit] History
[edit] Origin of 'Boilermakers' Nickname
The moniker 'Boilermakers' goes back to 1891 when the Purdue football team defeated nearby rival Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana 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." Engineering education in the 1890s at Purdue meant hands-on work in the forge room, where students heated and molded metal, just like the "blacksmiths" and "boilermakers" the football team was called after defeating opponents. The local Purdue press picked up on the name, with a notice in the November 1, 1891 Lafayette Sunday Times, "As everyone knows, Purdue went down to Wabash last Saturday and defeated their eleven. The Crawfordsville papers have not yet gotten over it. The only recourse they have is to claim that we beat their 'scientific' men by brute force. Our players are characterized as 'coal heavers,' 'boiler makers' and 'stevedores.'"[1]
Over the years Purdue's football team were called 'grangers', 'pumpkin-shuckers', 'railsplitters', 'cornfield sailors', 'blacksmiths' and 'foundry hands', but ultimately it was 'Boilermakers' that finally stuck.
Purdue's athletic teams typically wear old-gold-and-black or old-gold-and-white ensembles, colors that have identified Purdue since 1887.
[edit] Football
The Purdue Boilermakers competed as 'Independent' till 1889. In 1890, they joined the 'Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association', and finally the Big Ten Conference 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 hall-of-famer Bob Griese defeated the University of Southern California 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, losing to the University of Washington Huskies 24-34.
The Boilermakers have appeared in a total of 15 post-season bowl games, compiling a record of 8-7. Their most recent appearance was a 51-48 victory over Central Michigan University in the 2007 Motor City Bowl.
Purdue has traditionally been called the 'Cradle of Quarterbacks'[citation needed], having produced NFL hall of famer Dale Samuels, Bob DeMoss, Super Bowl MVP Len Dawson, Bob Griese, Mike Phipps, Mark Herrmann, Scott Campbell, Jim Everett, Eric Hunter, Billy Dicken, Kyle Orton and Drew Brees.
The current coach of the Boilermaker football team is Joe Tiller, who will retire after the 2008 season. Associate head coach Danny Hope will replace him.
[edit] Basketball
The Boilermaker men's and women's basketball teams have won more Big Ten Championships than any other conference school, with 27 conference banners, including a league-leading 21 for the men’s team. Men’s former head coach Gene Keady 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 more than 500 victories. Coach Keady had the honor of being named in The Sporting News as the best college coach never to make the Final Four.
The current coach of the Boilermaker men's basketball team is Matt Painter.
[edit] Athletic Accomplishments
Purdue University has the least amount of National Championships won out of every school in the Big Ten. Purdue was established in 1869, through those years they have achieved only 2 national championships. One being in men's golf and the other in women's basketball.
[edit] Baseball
- Big Ten Champions: 1909
[edit] Basketball: Men
- National Champions: 1932 (Awarded by the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1936, prior to the establishment of the NCAA Tournament).
- NCAA Final Four: 1969, 1980
- NIT Champions: 1974
- Big Ten Champions: 1911, 1912c, 1921c, 1922, 1926c, 1928c, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1935c, 1936c, 1938, 1940, 1969, 1979c, 1984c, 1987c, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1996
[edit] Basketball: Women
- NCAA National Champions: 1999
- NCAA Final Four: 1994, 1999, 2001
- Big Ten Champions: 1991, 1994c, 1995c, 1997c, 1999, 2001, 2002
- Big Ten Tournament Champions: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008
[edit] Cross Country: Men
- Big Ten Champions: 1916, 1941, 1943
[edit] Cross Country: Women
- Big Ten Champions: 1980†
[edit] Football
- Bowl Game Victories: 1967 Rose Bowl, 1978 Peach Bowl, 1979 Bluebonnet Bowl, 1980 Liberty Bowl, 1997 Alamo Bowl, 1998 Alamo Bowl, 2002 Sun Bowl, 2007 Motor City Bowl
- Big Ten Champions: 1918c, 1929, 1931c, 1932c, 1943c, 1952c, 1967c, 2000c
[edit] Field Hockey
- Big Ten Champions: 1978†, 1979†
[edit] Golf: Men
- NCAA National Champions: 1961
- Big Ten Champions: 1950, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1981
[edit] Golf: Women
- Big Ten Champions: 2000, 2006, 2008
[edit] Soccer: Women
- Big Ten Tournament Champions: 2007
[edit] Track and Field: Women
INDOOR
- Big Ten Champions: 2001
OUTDOOR
- Big Ten Champions: 1987, 1999
[edit] Volleyball
- Big Ten Champions: 1979†, 1980†, 1982, 1985
[edit] 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.
[edit] Facilities
- 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.
- Boilermaker 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.
- Dennis J. and Mary Lou Schwartz Tennis Center - Men's and Women's Tennis
The Tennis Center is the newest facility for Purdue Athletics. The facility is home to 6 outdoor and 3 indoor tennis courts.
- Intercollegiate Athletics Facility - Volleyball, Wrestling
In addition to having Belin Court as a dedicated surface for Volleyball, the IAF is also the location of several other athletic facilities. The Athletic Ticket Office, Jane P. Beering Academic Learning Center, and large weightroom are also inside the IAF. Additionally, the football locker rooms are located in the IAF.
- Lambert Field - Baseball
The home field for the Purdue Baseball team. It has the same field dimensions as the baseball setup in the Metrodome, home of MLB's Minnesota Twins.
- 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 - 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.
- Rankin Track & Field - Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field
- Ross-Ade Stadium - Football
- Varsity Cross Country Course - Men's and Women's Cross Country
- Varsity Soccer Complex - Women's Soccer
- Varsity Softball Complex - Softball
[edit] Rivalry
- See also: Indiana-Purdue rivalry
Purdue's main rivals are the Indiana University Hoosiers, against whom the Purdue football team plays annually for the Old Oaken Bucket. The Purdue football team also competes against the Fighting Irish from the University of Notre Dame for the Shillelagh Trophy and the University of Illinois Fighting Illini for the Purdue Cannon trophy.
[edit] Athletic bands
Purdue's Band was formed in 1886 and named the 'All-American' Marching Band. The AAMB has made 75 consecutive appearances as the host band for the Indianapolis 500. The AAMB performs on all home football games where they play the university fight songs, Hail Purdue! being the most famous, and other songs ranging from jazz to rock.
Gold and Black Sounds (GABS) is the band for Women's Basketball.
Boiler Brass is the band for Men's Basketball.
Boiler Box Band plays for the Volley Ball team.
[edit] Cheerleaders
[edit] Mascots
[edit] Boilermaker Special
The Boilermaker Special is the official mascot of Purdue since the 1930s. The 'Specials' are Victorian era locomotives. 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. It often leads the football team onto the field before games.
[edit] Purdue Pete
During 1940 the then owners of the University Bookstore, Doc Epple and Red Sammons, hired local artist Art Evans to draw a boilermaker 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 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 as a head worn by an adjunct member of the cheerleading group. 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 and the like.[2] BBCHS a high school in central Illinois also uses a mascot similar to Pete, named Bruno the Boilermaker.
[edit] Rowdy
In 1997 Rowdy was added as another unofficial cheerleading mascot at football events. Rowdy is a ten-foot tall inflatable child boilermaker, who seeks to enroll at Purdue University someday in his future. Rowdy was phased out in the 2006-07 sports season as he made appearances at 3 football games, and no basketball games.
[edit] External links
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