Purdue Boilermakers

From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.

Students or alumni of Purdue University are referred to as Boilermakers.

History

The moniker 'Boilermakers' goes back to 1891 when the Purdue football team, just starting out, defeated regional powerhouse Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana 44-0. A reporter from the Lafayette Sunday Times wrote "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..."

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.

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, 1943, 1952, 1967 and 2000. The last two conference wins gave the Boilermakers a birth in the Rose Bowl in Pasedina, California. The Boilermakers, under NFL hall-of-famer Bob Griese defeated the University of Southern California Trojans 14-13 in 1967 to win the Rose Bowl, but went down to the University of Washington Huskies 24-34 in 2000, under Drew Brees.

Purdue has tratitionally been called the 'Cradle of Quarterbacks', having graduated NFL hall of famer Bob Griese, Superbowl MVP Len Dawson, Mark Herrmann, Jim Everett, Drew Brees and Kyle Orton.

Rivalry

Purdue's main rivals are the Indiana University Hoosiers, against whome Purdue plays annually for the Old Oaken Bucket, and the Fighting Irish from the University of Notre Dame. The Shillelagh trophy goes to the winner of this annual game. Purdue also competes against the University of Illinois Illini for the Purdue Cannon trophy.

Athletic Band

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 games where they play the university fight song ("Hail Purdue!") and other songs ranging from jazz to rock.

Mascots

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.

Purdue Pete

Purdue Pete was first used as an advertising icon for the University Bookstore and since then has been a regular at Purdue games. Pete's alter-ego, Rowdy, ten feet tall, has been a regular at football events since 1997.

Big Ten Conference: Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Michigan | Michigan State | Minnesota Northwestern | Ohio State | Penn State | Purdue | Wisconsin

Links

Purdue Football Database Purdue University Offical Athletic Site]