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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History

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.'"

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.

Football

The Purdue Boilermakers competed as 'Independent' until 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' ^[1], having produced NFL stars Cecil Isbell, Dale Samuels, Bob DeMoss, NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl MVP Len Dawson, NFL Hall of Famer Bob Griese, Mike Phipps, Gary Danielson, Mark Herrmann, Scott Campbell, Jim Everett, Eric Hunter, Billy Dicken, Kyle Orton and Drew Brees. Purdue QBs have thrown more touchdowns in the NFL, 1,256, than any other university; with Drew Brees and Kyle Orton starting for the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos respectively, that total will continue to grow. ^[2] After Joe Tiller retired as head coach, Danny Hope will take over as head coach in 2009.

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 distinction 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.

Athletic Accomplishments

Purdue University has the fewest national championships among Big Ten schools. Since its establishment in 1869, Purdue has won two national championships, one in men's golf and the other in women's basketball.

Baseball

• Big Ten Champions : 1909

Basketball: Men

• ''National Champions: 1932 (Awarded by the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1936, prior to the establishment of the NCAA Tournament). See Mythical National Championship.
• 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
• Big Ten Tournmant Champions : 2009

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

Cross Country: Men

• Big Ten Champions : 1916, 1941, 1943

Cross Country: Women

• Big Ten Champions : 1980†

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

Field Hockey

• Big Ten Champions : 1978†, 1979†

Golf: Men

• NCAA National Champions : 1961
• Big Ten Champions : 1950, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1981

Golf: Women

• Big Ten Champions : 2000, 2006, 2008

Soccer: Women

• Big Ten Tournament Champions : 2007

Track and Field: Women

INDOOR

• Big Ten Champions : 2001

OUTDOOR

• Big Ten Champions : 1987, 1999

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.

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 and the Men's NCAA championship in 2008.

• 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 6 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

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.

Athletic bands

thumb Purdue's Band was formed in 1886 and named the 'All-American' Marching Band in 1935. The AAMB has made 90 consecutive appearances as the host band for the Indianapolis 500. 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 to rock.

Gold and Black Sounds (GABS) is the athletic band for Women's Basketball.

Boiler Brass is the athletic band for Men's Basketball.

Boiler Box Band is the athletic band for the Volleyball team.

Cheerleaders

Mascots

Boilermaker Special

The Boilermaker Special has been 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.

Purdue Pete

thumbIn 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 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 and the like. Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School in central Illinois also uses a mascot similar to Pete called "Bruno the Boilermaker".